Learning Online

We want your CHS experience to be the best possible!

All courses at Cherry Hill Seminary are taught using distance education methods.  This means that you can enjoy a class with students from all over the world, from the comfort and convenience of your own computer.  We do our best to schedule classes so that as many people as possible can join in.

Online Classroom

All classes have an online home base. Cherry Hill Seminary uses a web-based system called Populi for most courses, and a system called Moodle for a few others which don’t fall neatly into the semesters framework. Once you register for a course, CHS staff sends you an email about how to log in.  If you are sent a login to Moodle we ask you to go through the short Moodle tutorial (found in the Moodle online classroom) you begin. Also, it is very important to visit Populi and Moodle as soon as you get your login information to be sure you can get in – you want to check this out well ahead of classes start.   Instructors are very patient and helpful, but they expect you to already understand how to use a forum, how to upload an assignment, and how to follow links to other resources.  You’ll find this is a snap if you have gone through the Moodle tutorial.  And Populi has some of the best help files and videos we’ve seen. Just click on the question mark at the upper right of your screen.

Be sure to read all the material your teacher posts in the classroom; this should answer just about all your questions about a class. Inside the classroom you’ll be able to easily send messages to your teacher and other students.  Just in case you lose your password, use the reset button on the login panel for Moodle, or for Populi email CHS for support.

About Class Format

Most classes include a mix of formats, such as (but not limited to) the following:

  • Forums with some combination of directive questions and freeform discussions, not in real-time; you can read and post to the forums whenever you have an internet connection.
  • Forum posts may be required or optional; you may be given homework to post to a particular forum in a particular format. Forum posts may be read by the whole class.
  • Some classes may require students to upload files of homework assignments.
  • Live chats and/or conference calls. Live chats occur at a regularly-scheduled time with all participants present, in real-time from wherever they are; for example, the same course might have a student in New York attending at 8 pm Eastern time and a student in California who is meeting at 5 pm Pacific time. Please note that you may not enroll in two classes that meet for live chat during overlapping scheduled times, unless you have discussed and made some arrangement with the instructors (not advised).
  • Written assignments such as personal writing, a research paper, or an assignment to undertake some practical exercise or experiment and then write a report on that. These assignments will be uploaded to the class site, and may be seen only by the instructor or shared with classmates.
  • Exams or quizzes, available only to the instructor.
  • Field experiences of one kind or another, followed by discussion or a written report.
  • Assigned reading or research, either in textbooks purchased by the student or in material posted or linked from the classroom, or through independent work or the use of your local library.
  • Downloading other audio or audio-visual components and responding to them.
  • Creative, interactive or inventive projects, e.g., designing a workshop, producing art, music, dance, poetry, creating a ritual, etc.

Technical Competency and Preparedness

Cherry Hill Seminary is a distance education facility.  To have a successful experience you need —

  • Proficiency in and access to an up-to-date computer with a sound card, microphone and speakers.
  • 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 your own protection from viruses, etc.
  • Ability to attend and participate in online chat class sessions.
  • Ability and willingness to follow the instructions given by tech support staff when first introduced admitted, and to take responsibility for participating in the online Moodle tutorial and/or Populi help files as needed.
  • 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.