Technical Competency and Preparedness
Cherry Hill Seminary is a distance education facility. At a minimum, all members of the Seminary community must meet the technical requirements below, which are subject to change upon recommendation of our technical support staff and the agreement of management.
Our main student system is called Populi. Everyone has a profile in Populi, and most of our classrooms are in there. We have a second online classroom platform called Moodle. The Library, Chaplain’s Office, and a Moodle tutorial are in there. Spiritual Direction and Community Ministry certificate students’ classrooms are in Moodle. Both Populi and Moodle classrooms work in generally the same way.
All new students must review the Populi student system video intro found here. All new students must also review the Moodle tutorial upon receiving access to the Moodle online classroom system. Students are responsible for reviewing information found at Zoom.com about use of that platform for video class meetings.
Additional requirements include:
- Proficiency in and access to an up-to-date computer with a sound card, working computer sound card, a camera and (recommended) a headset/microphone which plugs into your computer.
- Reliable internet access (high-speed access is strongly recommended).
- Access to and responsibility for standard office software, including a word processing program which will create .doc or .rtf files, and an internet browser.
- Access to and responsibility for protection from viruses, etc.
- Ability to attend and participate in online video class sessions.
- Ability and willingness to follow tech support instructions, including the training listed above.
- Ability to attend and participate in online chat or conference call class sessions, as well as the willingness to adjust to these differing modes of communication.
Using Web-Based Meeting Platforms
An effective distance education format necessitates some form of technology to enable periodic direct interaction between student and instructor. Cherry Hill Seminary currently uses Zoom™ for online video conferences. Use of Zoom™ is free to the student, but requires compliance with some simple matters in order to best serve both the individual and the group.
Students and instructors are asked to use a headset which plugs into the main computer. Use of a wireless headset or simply the built-in audio will degrade the call for the entire class. Such a headset may be purchased at a nominal cost in most office supply or electronics stores.
Online Classroom
All courses have an online classroom. Cherry Hill Seminary uses standard software that is used by many high schools and universities. Once a student registers for a course, CHS tech staff sends information about how to access both Populi and Moodle. This communication will include a login name and a password, which may be changed by the student once logged in.
It is very important to access both Populi and Moodle as soon as login information is received so that any problems can be addressed before the start of classes. Instructors expect students to already understand how to use classroom functions such as posting to discussion lists, accessing lessons, how to upload an assignment, and how to follow links to other resources. Each student is responsible for reading all material posted in the classroom. To recover a lost password, first try the “lost password” function on the Moodle sign-in screen, then if needed, email CHS tech support. There is no similar function for Populi so you must email CHS tech support to generate a reset email to you.