Guide for New Purdue Global Law School Students

Welcome to your journey as a Purdue Global Law School student. This guide is designed to provide information to help you get started.

Getting Started in Purdue Global Campus

The first thing you should get acquainted with is Purdue Global Campus, your student portal and virtual campus at Purdue Global Law School. From Purdue Global Campus, you can access:

  • Your online classes including your seminars, degree plan, and course grades
  • Academic resources such as the Academic Success Center and the University Library
  • Account information including your personal information, account balance, and funding information like financial aid disbursements
  • Important networks such as the Career Network and Student Life
  • Notifications about your account and announcements about events happening at the University
  • Contact information for your Student Advisor, Technical Support, Student Finance, and other support teams
  • And much more

Purdue Global Campus is fully mobile responsive. It adapts to your device whether it is a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or phone to give you a comfortable experience.

Contact your Student Advisor or Support & Solutions at 866-522-7747 if you have any questions.

Getting Started in Brightspace

Now that you have learned about Purdue Global Campus, you know that it is where you will find links to your online classes, which take place on an online learning platform called Brightspace. Review the Brightspace Learning Environment Student Guide to familiarize yourself with it. If you have any questions about Brightspace or Pulse, contact your Student Advisor at 866-522-7747.

Terms and Courses

  • You will take several courses in each 16-week term.
  • Each course contains 15 modules, to be completed over a 16-week term.

Classroom

  • Optimal pacing has you completing one module every 7 days.
  • Content is gated whereby you may not progress to the next module until you have completed the required content in the previous module.

Mobile App

  • Pulse is a free companion mobile app that helps you manage and stay on top of your online courses in Brightspace.
  • Please review the Brightspace Pulse Student Guide if you are interested in accessing your classes from a mobile device.

Seminar
  • Each course has a seminar held on a particular day/time of the week. Most courses have one section (i.e., one available seminar day/time option). In most courses, seminars are scheduled for 1 hour once per week and cover one module’s worth of material.
  • Seminars are scheduled so that required courses you should take concurrently do not overlap. However, courses that are not typically taken concurrently may overlap in their seminar time. If you choose to take classes with overlapping seminars, it will be your responsibility to regularly review the seminar archive for one of those classes.
  • Some seminars may cover material that is addressed in quizzes. Therefore, faculty may advise their students not to take a quiz before a corresponding seminar if the seminar covers material addressed in the quiz.
    • Note: Quizzes are a gated academic activity that you must complete before progressing to the next module. If you choose not to take a quiz until you have attended a corresponding seminar, which may slow your module progress slightly, this delay may be worth the preparation for a quiz that the seminar can provide. You can also turn your attention to another course while waiting for the course seminar to take place.
  • Seminar participation—either attending a live seminar or accessing an archived one—is required. A small number of points toward your course grade area is awarded for seminar attendance and participation. Those who cannot attend a given seminar live may earn points by submitting a brief written assignment. Pay careful attention to individual course policies: to sit for the final exam in most courses, you must attend at least 80% of the seminars (either live or through submission of the alternate written assignment), although some writing courses require 100% seminar attendance.

Written and Visual Resources

Most modules in most courses will include three categories of required resources:

  • Readings (textbooks and/or online materials accessible from Brightspace)
  • Video lectures (accessible from Brightspace)
  • Post-video interactive learning activities (accessible from Brightspace)

Discussion Boards

Discussion board topics are found in some modules. They may or may not be graded. If they are graded, a scoring rubric will be provided. Even if ungraded, they are a valuable opportunity to engage with the material, your instructor, and fellow students.

Attendance

While much of your coursework will consist of reading and working on graded assignments, it is critical that you perform certain academic activities on a regular basis that will register official attendance at the University:

  • Access the Seminar tool by attending a regularly scheduled live seminar.
  • Post an original thread to any classroom discussion.
  • Post to the professor’s virtual office.
  • Submit an assignment via the drop box.
  • Submit an exam/quiz.

(Note: merely logging into Brightspace does not count as registering attendance. Failure to post attendance in a course at the start of the term may result in administrative removal from the course or withdrawal due to nonattendance.)

Meeting this requirement should not be a challenge for you, as the completion of attendance-bearing activities on a frequent basis is important for making good progress.

Course-Specific Late Policies

In most courses, there are grade deductions if certain assignments are not turned in on time. These are designed not to penalize students but to incentivize them not to fall too far behind. Please carefully read the course-specific late policies in each course syllabus, which may differ from course to course.

You can access the course syllabus on the Content tab on the left navigation bar. Once you are inside the syllabus, the course-specific late policy will be found under the Course-Specific Policies heading.

Make sure to refer to the course-specific late policy in combination with the module progress deadline dates published in the announcements for specific details on when assignments are due. You are responsible for all deadlines, so if you have questions, please contact your professor.

Content Requirements

All content in a course, unless otherwise stated in the course, is required. Some of it is:

  • Attendance bearing
  • Graded
  • Both or neither
Examples:
Content/Activity Required? Attendance Bearing? Graded?
Seminars Yes Yes Yes
Readings Yes No No
Videos Yes No No
Interactive Activities Yes Yes Usually not (but a minimum score may be required to move forward)
Quizzes Yes Yes Yes
Discussion Board Yes Yes Some are, some are not
Assignments Yes Yes Yes

Note: seminars will be graded for students beginning in January 2021.

Due to gating, students must complete all work in all modules to be able to access the scheduled final exam. Final exam schedules are posted in each course’s announcements.

Purdue Global Law School New Student Checklist

I have reviewed materials to know what to do in Purdue Global Campus, Brightspace, and Seminar.

I understand the attendance policy and what I must do to adhere to it.

I’m familiar with the preview period. I’ve reviewed or will review my courses before term start.

I know what CL500: Fundamentals is and have started going through it.

I understand when I need to have my official transcripts submitted to Purdue Global Law School.

I understand how to order textbooks for my classes.

I have reviewed the Quick Tips for my program.

I am aware of my student resources and departments and how to contact them.

Preview Period for Online Classes

On the Monday before classes begin, you will have access to your registered courses during what's called the preview period. You can use this time to get acquainted with the content and structure of your classes. We recommend you do the following:

  • Review any Announcements posted to your class homepage(s).
  • Click on the Content button in the navigation bar; find the Table of Contents on the page.
  • Under the Table of Contents, click on the Syllabus and review it. It contains a detailed overview of the entire course. The course outline within each syllabus will give you a breakdown of the content in each module as well as how long it should take you to finish each activity. Therefore, although content within modules is gated, you can use the course outline to help manage your time.
  • Click on Academic Tools, then on the Plagiarism Guide. This explains what constitutes plagiarism, and how to avoid it when working with research sources.
  • Click on Module 1, then click through the learning activities found there (required resources and activities, seminar, etc.) to get a sense of what you need to do in the first 10 days. If you have time, begin your Module 1 readings to get a head start.

Do not work on discussion board posts, assignments, or quizzes before the start date as any work you do before the term begins will not count toward official attendance or grades.

CL500: Fundamentals

  • Orientation

    CL500: Fundamentals is Purdue Global Law School’s prestart orientation program that allows you to get familiar both with the online platform and the type of skills and concepts you will be using as a Purdue Global Law School student. You can access CL500 as soon as you are enrolled.

  • Online Classroom

    The online classroom is where you’ll review information and complete activities at your own pace. Access the course by logging in to your Purdue Global Campus student portal and clicking on CL500: Fundamentals under Academic Enrichment.

  • Online Seminar

    The online seminar is where you and your fellow students will meet with Assistant Dean of Students, Larasz Moody-Villarose, who will provide insight into what you can expect in the coming term and answer any questions you may have.

    To see when the online seminar for CL500 is scheduled, go to the online course via Purdue Global Campus as described previously and hover over the course title. The next date and time (ET) of the seminar will appear.

    To access the seminar on that scheduled day/time, click on the course link on the homepage of PG Campus. Once in the online course, there are two ways to access your online seminar:

    • In the Calendar widget on your online course homepage, click on Seminar Course Code to enter it. Note: there is no early access to the seminar before its scheduled day and time.
    • Click on More Tools in the main navbar. Then click on Seminar in the dropdown menu.

    If you are unable to attend the seminar, you will be able to view a recording of it in the archive.

  • Purdue Global Law School Support

    If you have any questions about CL500, or have difficulty accessing either the CL500 course or seminar, please give us a call at 866-522-7747.

Purdue Global Law School must receive and verify your official transcript showing completion of a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education by day 45 of the first term or you will be withdrawn from Purdue Global.

You are considered conditionally admitted to Purdue Global until your official transcript showing completion of a bachelor’s degree is received and approved. As a conditionally admitted student, you enjoy all the rights and resources of a fully admitted student and are obliged to uphold all of Purdue Global’s policies; however, you are not eligible for Title IV federal financial aid while in this status.

You will need to order textbooks for your courses. Visit the MBS Bookstore for Purdue Global Law School Students in PG Campus on the Student Store and Discounts page to learn more.

Are you using Title IV financial aid to fund your studies? If so, you may be eligible for a textbook voucher. Please contact your Student Advisor at 866-522-7747 if you think you’re eligible and would like to apply.

As a student in the Juris Doctor (JD) or Executive Juris Doctor (EJD) program at PLaw School at Purdue Global, you need to develop strategies that help you succeed with your studies.

Quick Tips to Help You Succeed is designed for that purpose. It offers tips on setting goals, managing your time, tracking your progress, preparing for exams, and more. Please review it carefully and contact us at 866-522-7747 if you have any questions.

Student Resource Guide

NOTES AND CONDITIONS

Accreditation: Purdue Global Law School is part of Purdue Global, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Purdue Global Law School is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. Due to its accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners, Purdue Global Law School has the authority to offer a Juris Doctor degree that qualifies recipients to take the California Bar Examination and obtain admission to the practice of law in California.

Study at, or graduation from, Purdue Global Law School does not qualify graduates to take the bar examination or satisfy the requirements for admission to practice law in jurisdictions other than California. A student who intends to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California should visit Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications page for state-specific requirements. Students are highly encouraged to confirm state requirements from the appropriate bar admissions office for their state of residence.

Purdue Global Law School is not on the list of schools approved by the American Bar Association. The ABA Standards for the Approval of Law Schools currently do not allow JD programs from a law school that is fully online.

Employment and Career Advancement: Purdue Global Law School does not guarantee employment placement or career advancement. Actual outcomes vary by geographic area, previous work experience and opportunities for employment.

Purdue Global Commitment: Purdue Global Law School does not participate in the Purdue Global Commitment program. Please contact a Purdue Global Law School Admissions Advisor for information about its Fundamentals and Prestart programs.