Online Programs & Courses

Approximately 3 million students study online in the United States. Baker University specializes in serving business/management and liberal arts learner communities. Our students are primarily full-time, working professionals returning to school, military members serving overseas, or individuals seeking the challenges of critical thinking.

Our online course management system, Moodle is an easy-to-use, organized way to manage assignments, projects and interaction with your instructors and fellow students. The most successful students in online coursework are self-motivated, have clear goals and set aside appropriate time to complete their work. Baker University’s help desk and academic advisors support you throughout the academic process. If you enjoy an online environment and have access to the Internet, then online learning may be right for you.

Online classes mean you can make Baker University’s schedule work with your life. The cohort model offers business students the opportunity to move sequentially through a series of courses together. Once you are enrolled in an online program, Baker brings the courses to you.

The reasons are both personal and highly practical. Earning a degree may be a lifelong dream. Perhaps an undergraduate or master’s degree is essential to your professional advancement. Possibly, you need to expand your thinking and life options. Whatever your reasoning, higher education at Baker University School of Professional and Graduate Studies can broaden your choices, your standard of living, and possibly your financial capacity. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that people with a graduate degree typically earn $1 million more over their working life than people without a degree.

Juggling multiple responsibilities is always a challenge. More than 90% of School of Professional and Graduate Studies graduates complete their degrees. Baker students find it possible to balance work, family and education. Within a few weeks of taking classes, you will find that coursework becomes a part of a manageable routine.

Accreditation is a process used by higher education to evaluate colleges, universities and educational programs for quality. Accreditation is conducted by private, not-for-profit organizations designed specifically to conduct external quality reviews. Baker University SPGS is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (312.263.0456, hlcommission.org). This means that credits and degrees earned at Baker University are eligible for acceptance by other regionally accredited institutions. Regional accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

All of Baker University’s online courses meet the same academic requirements as our on-ground courses. When you sign up for an online program, you experience the same course objectives, assignments,and learning outcomes as you would in a traditional classroom.

At Baker University, online courses are all asynchronous, meaning that they do not meet at a predetermined time. Online classes meet for weeklong modules, and you will “go to class” by logging into Moodle, Baker University’s learning management system. Through Moodle, you receive all class assignments, including reading, research and multimedia, and you take part in class discussions through online discussion boards. With Internet access, you can log in and join your classmates.

Many students find that online courses require a good degree of self-motivation. In addition to self-motivation, success in an online course requires frequent visits to the course and active participation in the class. In on-ground classes, you meet your classmates and instructor face-to-face, but in online classes you get to know them through their postings. Although most of your learning time on ground occurs in a physical classroom, you will find that online courses generate self-directed learning.

An asynchronous class allows you to access course materials at any time during the weekly modules, take part in discussions with your instructor and participate in threaded discussions with your peers. Potentially, you will be assigned readings, case studies, discussions topics, research assignment and projects, all of which you will complete in a fully online setting. Even your presentations will be done online.

You can log in to your asynchronous classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To successfully complete the course, you will need to log in multiple times each week.

All Baker University SPGS faculty hold a master’s degree, and some hold a doctorate in their teaching discipline. Coursework, lectures, facilitation and active-learning strategies are presented by experienced faculty members who have first-hand knowledge of the workplace. Class discussions focus on applications of learning that relate to your career and life. Our faculty bring valuable real-world experience to the class.

Students are expected to participate actively in and contribute to the learning experience in an online course. Attendance in an online course is defined as a learner who logs into the learning management system and completes at least two significant activities in the course during the class session. A significant activity may include submitting a forum post, an assignment, an assessment, or other contribution that advances the learning process for a student/other students in the course. A class session is a seven-day timeframe of instructional time, typically Monday 12 a.m. – Sunday 11:59 p.m. Students must meet the minimum attendance requirements to stay active in the class. If this attendance requirement is not met, the student will be required to repeat the course.

Students are expected to participate actively in and contribute to the learning experience in the course. Participation means providing substantive comments, questions and contributions that advance the learning process for you and/or other learners in the course. Participation may include responding to questions and issues posed by other learners. Nonsubstantive comments, nongermane comments and comments of the nature of “I agree” or “I disagree” (unless the latter two are elaborated upon to make them substantive) do not count toward meeting the participation requirement.

Students can submit written assignments through Moodle. Instructors have the discretion to grant other options for submitting assignments. Options for submitting a written assignment to your instructor include submitting the assignment through an assignment link or posting the assignment to a discussion board. Your instructor and instructions within your Moodle course will provide more information on how you should turn in your assignments.

When you write a paper, you can find everything you need to research your projects and class work through the Collins Library. You can use the Baker University Collins Library to access a vast selection of books, and periodicals, as well as online databases, journals and other online services.

Assistance with academic writing is available online.

If you would like one-on-one help or have a grammar or MLA style question, you can request help through the student portal.

Taking an online class requires self-motivation, frequent visits to the online course and active participation. Successful online students participate and complete assignments on time, log in often to keep up with the activity in the course, and contribute regularly to the discussion boards. Students should also check their Baker email regularly and keep in contact with the instructor throughout the course.

We recommend that students log in at the beginning of the week to review and understand the weekly requirements and due dates. Additionally, we recommend that students participate in threaded discussions early in the week to engage in meaningful discussions with classmates and the instructor.

Any change in your class schedule, such as adding a class or withdrawing from a class, must be coordinated through the Academic Advising Office. You can email Academic Advising. Failure to officially withdraw from a course may result in academic and financial penalties.

Instructor contact information is available through the student portal and in your Moodle course shell.

The Registrar’s Office provides assistance with all matters related to your official records. You may contact the Registrar’s Office at academicrecords@bakerU.edu.

Online library resources are available 24 hours a day at Baker University Collins Library. You can also view discipline-specific resources through the education and business subject guides.

IT support is available through the Baker University help desk.

We provide online writing assistance for students.

All students are provided opportunities to confer with academic advisors before enrollment and throughout their program. An advisor provides students an understanding of their academic status and the requirements they must satisfy for the completion of their degree program. Advisors are available to work with students online, by phone, or in person. For advising, contact Academic Advising, or call 913.491.4432.

Each student will receive an email containing their student ID number. The email will be sent to the email addresses on the student’s record before you start classes. This student number is used to check out materials from the library and to place interlibrary loan requests. Please save this email for future reference and/or print out a copy for your records.

• Online Collins Library
  Library resources such as full-text databases and subscription search services are available 24 hours a day at Baker University’s Collins Library. To access the subscription services you will use your student ID number.
• To access electronic library resources from off-campus, use your Moodle credentials when prompted on the login screen. Include the @stu.bakerU.edu domain as part of your username.
• Online Collins Library Tutorial
  Students can access an online Collins Library tutorials for assistance using the library services.
• Librarian Assistance
  If you are unable to find the answer to your question, contact information is provided under the Get Help heading in the top-right corner of this page.
• Business Subject Guides
• Writing Assistance
  Baker offers several online resources for writing assistance for students.

All Baker University policies and procedures are described in the SPGS Catalog and Student Handbook.

The student portal is a secure system for accessing your student information. The following information and services are available through the student portal:

• Accessing grades
• Student schedule information
• Instructor information
• External links to frequently used items and sites
• Course attendance records
• GPA calculator
• Making changes to personal information records
• Access to alerts and appointments
• Anti-virus software for downloading
• Access to unofficial transcripts

Access student portal help and instructions.

Baker University has multiple opportunities for students to provide feedback on their educational experiences. Every student may complete an end-of-course survey after each class. An electronic link is provided with each online course shell to complete the survey. Students also complete an end-of-program survey in the last course of their program. Online students receive an electronic link to this survey within the course shell as well as an email reminder about the survey.

Baker University’s Academic Advising staff can provide guidance with instructional issues. Call 913.491.4432.

Baker University will provide accommodations for students with disabilities. Students who wish to request accommodations should identify themselves by contacting their academic advisor. Students may review the detailed accommodations policy in the SPGS Catalog and Student Handbook.