Program Logistics

Schedule

VIP students are expected to work on a schedule which closely parallels a university semester. All VIP course work, including exams, should be received by August 24, 2001 unless instructed otherwise by faculty. Please contact the VIP if other arrangements are necessary.

Videotapes of the first week of classes will be shipped via Federal Express Monday, June 4, 2001. Thereafter, VIP students will receive via Federal Express a full set of videotapes (three hours of instruction) per week. Domestic students should return videotapes to the VIP two weeks after receipt, at the student's expense.

International Policy

International students students located outside the United States are expected to meet the same course requirements and deadlines as domestic students. Since courses are taught in English, students must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam prior to registration. The exam is offered online and as a paper exam, in some locations both options may not be available, please check with the TOEFL organization. The minimum acceptable scores for the TOEFL exam are: Online exam 197; Paper exam 550. Courses are recorded in NTSC format on VHS videotapes. All course materials are the intellectual property of the VIP faculty. International students must agree not to duplicate or distribute lecture videotapes or notes. International students should return videotapes to the VIP, at the student's expense, by the end of the semester of enrollment.

Unless the student has an APO or uses an internal company mailing service, the VIP will assess international students additional fees for shipping the videotapes and corresponding course materials via Federal Express. These shipping charges are in addition to the international course fees. Students located in Canada and Mexico will pay the standard course fee, plus additional shipping charges. As shipping costs vary from country to country, please contact the VIP to obtain cost estimates and delivery schedules.

Course Registration Information

Credit Registration
A bachelor's degree (in an engineering, computer, or engineering related field) from an accredited institution in the U.S. or the equivalent from a foreign institution is required in order to register for a graduate level course (600 or above), or permission of the instructor. Students who have a bachelor's or advanced degree, but one which is not related to engineering, a physical science (math, chemistry or physics) or computer science, should consult the instructor or their adviser.

Audit Registration
Persons who register as auditors work under their own schedules and direction. They do not interact with the instructor or have assignments or examinations graded.

To register for a course please complete the registration form and return, with payment, to:

Video Instructional Program
113 Marcus Hall
University of Massachusetts
100 Natural Resources Road
Amherst, MA 01003-9292

Make checks payable to:
Video Instructional Program

Receipts for registration fees are sent only upon written or verbal request. They are mailed after the expiration of the refund period (after the fourth week of classes).

Fees

Standard fee for a three (3) credit course (incl. Canada & Mexico) $1,300
Standard fee for a two (2) credit course (incl. Canada & Mexico) $892
Audit fee $1,300
International fee for a three (3) credit course $1,500
International fee for a two (2) credit course $1,092
Registration fee (non-refundable) $20
Computer account:
- Computer Science $45
- Engineering $15
Handling fee $10
Early registration bonus (before May 29, 2001): deduct $25

May 29-June 4 is considered a late registration period. All registrations must be received by June 4, 2001.

International registrations must be accompanied by full payment, in U.S. dollars, of course fees and estimated shipping costs. International students are expected to pay all duties and taxes applicable to international shipping. Failure to pay these expenses will result in shipping delays.

Refunds

Refund requests of course fees (international and domestic) must be sent to the VIP in writing. They are effective from the date the letter is received as follows:
Prior to the first day of classes,

June 4: 100%
June 4-8: 90%
June 11-15: 70%
June 18-22: 50%
AFTER JUNE 22: NO REFUND

Refund dates are nonnegotiable and apply to all VIP off-campus students. The date of a student's first tape viewing does not constitute the beginning of the off-campus semester. Notifying the faculty or ceasing to view tapes does not constitute official withdrawal. Registration and handling fees are non-refundable. Refund percentages are calculated on total course fees.

Language comprehension difficulties are not adequate justification for refund of course fees. The VIP will refund the balance of the shipping fees for international students effective from the date the refund request is received. Delays in shipping due to failure to pay shipping duties and/or taxes is not adequate justification for a refund.

Billing/Handling

The VIP will bill a company only when the registration includes: a. a letter of authorization from an appropriate individual in the company. b. a check or credit card payment which includes the $20 registration fee and the $10 handling fee.

Credit Card Payments

The VIP will accept registration payments by Visa, Discover or MasterCard. All students who intend to pay by credit card must supply the credit card number, expiration date and their signature on the VIP registration form. Please remember to indicate the type of credit card being used. Credit card payments with incomplete information can not be processed. DEBIT CARDS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

Tuition Assistance

VIP students may be eligible for financial aid. To be considered, one must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Federal Student Aid Programs. The FAFSA should be filed between January 1 and February 15. Filing during this time period will insure that the FAFSA will arrive at the processing center before the application deadline of March 1. Late applications will be considered only if funds are available. Please note that our campus does not use the Graduate and Professional School Financial Aid Service (GAPFAS).

For more information please contact: Financial Aid Services, 255 Whitmore Administration Building, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, 413/545-0801.

As a self-funding (no state funding) program, the VIP cannot accept tuition waivers from veterans. Please contact the University's office of Veterans' Assistance and Counseling Services at 413/545-0939 for more information.

Grading Policies

As a part of the University of Massachusetts, all VIP students must adhere to the same grading policies as on-campus graduate students. If business trips or other occurrences prevent a student from meeting homework or exam deadlines, or if a student is having difficulty completing assignments, he/she should immediately contact the appropriate instructor. An Incomplete (INC) or Not Reported (NR) grade converts to an Incomplete Failure (IF) one year after initial enrollment in the course (one academic year from the time of enrollment).

Concerns regarding a final grade should be discussed directly with the instructor. Because of the time shift involved in distance learning, a final grade will often be listed as NR. Such listings will be changed to the correct grade and the student will be notified by the Graduate School once the faculty have turned in the grade roster. For more information about grading policies, please contact the Graduate Records and Registration Office at 413/545-0024.

Course Work

Course materials-homework, exams and corrected/graded materials- will be sent with videotapes and shipped weekly via Federal Express. Notes and solutions will be primarily sent via PDF format.

Exam cover sheets accompany all exams and provide instructions for completion. In the case of proctored exams, proctors will need to sign the exam cover sheet and return it with the completed exam.

Homework assignments are to be sent directly to the instructor. Please do not send any homework, projects or exams in packages of tapes you return to the VIP.

Textbooks/Course Notes

Textbooks and course notes required for each course are listed in the course description and, unless otherwise noted, may be purchased directly from either Total Information or the UMass Textbook Annex. Payment may be made by either personal check or a major credit card. Both stores will ship directly to students. Total Information Website: http://www.totalinformation.com Toll Free within the U.S.: 800/876-4636 Outside the U.S.: 716/254-0261, Country Code 1 Email: orders@totalinformation.com UMass Textbook Annex Website: http://www.umass.bkstr.com Telephone: 413/545-3570 FAX: 413/545-3850

Computer Accounts

On-campus computer accounts may be necessary to support some courses (see individual course descriptions). Both the College of Engineering and Computer Science have their own servers. Modem access to either server requires a personal computer with terminal emulation of PPP software installed, and a modem to be set at 8 bits no parity. The campus supports modem speeds up to 34.4kb. Modem access is limited and the VIP does not guarantee access will be available at all times.

Computer Science - Ed Lab Accounts
Students taking Computer Science courses may need to have an account with Ed Lab. To obtain the account students are required to submit a $45. non-refundable fee per semester (see registration form).

College of Engineering - Engineering Computer Services Accounts
Students taking Electrical & Computer Engineering or Mechanical & Industrial Engineering courses may need to have an account with ECS. To obtain the account students are required to submit a $15. non-refundable fee per semester (see registration form). College of Engineering computers are also available through Telnet software if you have Internet access through another party (AOL, etc...).

Library Access

The library has expanded remote access to electronic information resources. Students who are off-campus and not connected to the campus network may now access databases, electronic journals, and other services requiring authentication. Please check the information at http://www.library.umass.edu/whatsnew/remoteaccess.htm

Students may access the University of Massachusetts' library system via the Internet. The general library website is, http://www.library.umass.edu.

The reference area is http://www.library.umass.edu/reference/reference.html. A useful source is the link "Ask a Librarian" at http://www.library.umass.edu/asklib.html.

Live & Pretaped Courses

VIP classes are recorded live while being taught by University faculty. In any given semester, the VIP's course listing consists of both live (recorded during the current semester) and pretaped courses (recorded during a previous semester). This expands the number of courses available to VIP students and increases the flexibility in scheduling courses - opportunities not available to on-campus students. Most courses are taught anew each year. Naturally, before faculty agree to offer a VIP course (whether live or pretaped), they commit to providing the necessary academic support.

Copyright & COPY; 2001 University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Produced and maintained by the University of Massachusetts, Video Instructional Program, comments to: mcculloch@ecs.umass.edu. This is an official page of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus. Updated: Spring, 2001.