University of Atlantia

No. Everyone is welcome to attend. However, pre-registering for classes and/or submitting a request to teach requires an AEL (Atlantia Enterprise Login). You do not have to be an Atlantian to have this account. Create your account here: https://www.login.atlantia.sca.org/. Please remember all class times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Yes, if you are attending classes online. To ensure security and minimize interruptions, we are only sending the links for classes to the registered students of a class.

No, if you are attending classes in person. However, pre-registration is strongly recommended to ensure you can get into your preferred class(es) and to help instructors prepare for the number of students in the class.

Once registration is open for a session, the registration deadline will be listed on the front page of the university site at https://university.atlantia.sca.org.

To check on your registration, you can log in to https://university.atlantia.sca.org with your AEL account or send an email to registrar@atlantia.sca.org.

Use one of the pre-registration methods described on the registration page.

You can check on and/or modify your registrations in your University of Atlantia account up to the registration deadline (normally midnight the Wednesday before the session). You will receive an email listing your pre-registrations a day or two before the session begins.

The system is currently set up to send class emails to anyone who is registered for, on the waiting list for, and who has starred the class as a favorite.

Receiving an email sent to the entire class is not a notification of being moved from the Waiting List to the Registered list. That will be a separate notification from the system.

If you don’t wish to receive emails for a class you favorited, go to the Classes I’m Taking link, scroll down to the Classes I’m Interested In section below your list of registered classes, and simply click the Remove From Watchlist button.

Yes. If you have questions about a class you want to take or have registered for, please contact the Registrar (registrar@atlantia.sca.org).

If you are having technical issues or are having trouble getting in to your online class, go to the Great Hall and ask a staff member. A link to the Great Hall is available from the Classes I'm Taking link on our menu once you are logged in to this website, or in the email with your class registration.

It is the responsibility of the instructor to inform students in advance about any required material fees for classes, and acceptable payment (cash, check, Paypal, Venmo, etc.). Fees are collected by the instructor.

For in-person classes, payment can be made directly to the instructor.

For online classes, reach out to the class instructor to arrange for payment and delivery of the materials.

You can contact your instructor:

1. go to your class list ("Classes I'm Taking" on the website sidebar)
2. click on the class name to view its info
3. click on "Email Instructor" near the bottom of the page.

Note: The University of Atlantia will not accept any payments to instructors. 

Using the University of Atlantia website to contact instructors is essentially us relaying a message and is not going to include your contact information. Please be sure to include it in the body of your message.

1. Log into the University of Atlantia website .
2. Click on the Classes I'm Taking link in the top part of the left side menu. This page has links to all the classes you're teaching / taking.
3. Use the Email Teachers link to the right of the class you want to contact to write and send your email. Or, you can click on the link to the class and use the Send Email link there.

In order to avoid any inadvertent intrusion or breach of privacy, it is the policy of the University of Atlantia to not provide direct contact information.

Visit the How to Teach page to find out how you can teach a class at upcoming universities.

While our database can accept a class submission at any time, most instructors submit their class(es) in the weeks specified by the University of Atlantia in deadlines for an upcoming session. Watch for information on the University of Atlantia website (university.atlantia.sca.org), University of Atlantia Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfAtlantia/), or on social media such as The Merry Rose or Kingdom of Atlantia announcement Facebook pages.

If you are able to attend the University session where the class is being taught, drop by the classroom and ask the instructor if there's an extra you can take, or leave a message at the registration area. If there isn't one available at the session, most instructors are happy to get another copy made for you in electronic form.

If you will not be at the session or are attending online, contact the Chancellor (chancellor@university.atlantia.sca.org) or Registrar (registrar@university.atlantia.sca.org) to relay your request to the instructor.

Thank you for wanting to help with our University.

Online sessions mainly need teaching assistants (TAs) who have basic familiarty with the Zoom video platform. Please email TA@atlantia.sca.org to volunteer.

In-person sessions often need people to help the day of the event. For example, we can sometimes need assistance at the registration table, helping with set up/take down, running errands like delivering/picking up class rosters, or assisting instructors with classroom configuration or setting up projectors. If you are interested, contact the Chancellor (chancellor@university.atlantia.sca.org) in advance or simply drop by the University registration table the day of the session.

For our day-to-day operations, please check the Contact section of our website to see what officers serve the University of Atlantia and consider where you might want to help out. Open positions are listed as vacant and also on the volunteer opportunities section of the kingdom webpage (atlantia.sca.org).

Students can get University credit for classes taken at a Collegium, Symposium or another official non-University event (as defined by Kingdom law). The event organizer or person in charge of class offerings just needs to contact the Chancellor in advance for permission; 30 days notice is preferred.

Once approval is given, the person in charge should inform the instructors that on the day of the event they should provide an attendence sheet that gives the name of the class, the scheduled start time and length of the class in whole hour increments. We have a roster template if you wish to use it. Please note that credits will only be granted to students. After the event those rosters can be mailed to the Registrar and she will enter the data so credit is given. Rosters must be received within 60 days of the event date or no credit will be given.

Note: Instructor credits are specifically reserved for teaching at an University. These credits affect the University degree system, specifically in necessary steps to award the Fellowship and Masters degrees.

The University of Atlantia grants degrees based on hours of classes taken or taught, so we track them within Atlantia. Certainly credits can be earned by any visitors to our sessions, in any classes offered Atlantia University credit at other events such as War of the Wings, or by anyone who has taken classes at a Known World Symposium offered within Atlantia’s borders. Those credits can also be applied towards Atlantia University degrees.

We still record student progress for non SCA members and SCA members from outside Atlantia. We use it to track interest in particular classes, help plan for future sessions, and inform reports for SCA Inc.

As defined in the University Charter, there are four degrees given out by the University of Atlantia. Degrees presented by the University of Atlantia are not awards of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA, Inc.) or any of its branches and do not convey SCA precedence. We are therefore pleased to be able to offer degrees to qualifying students and faculty across the Known World.

A Bachelor's Degree is awarded after a student has completed twenty-six hours of classes.

A Fellowship in the University of Atlantia is awarded to those who have taught classes at three University sessions. Note that a Fellowship is the only degree requires to become Chancellor of the Univeristy.

A Masters Degree is awarded to those who have earned their Bachelor's degree, are also Fellows of the University, have completed ten additional hours of classes as a student, and taught at two additional University Sessions.

Honorary Doctorates are awarded by the Chancellor at his or her discretion.

Although not a degree, the University of Atlantia acknowledges the contributions of Teaching Assistants (TAs). If a TA has supported instructors at three sepearate sessions, they are known as Wranglers.

Previous Degree Requirements:

University session 43 (November 1997) was the last University session to confer Bachelors Degrees using previous requirements.

University session 48 (December 1999) was the last University session to confer Trivium/Quadrivium using previous requirements.

University session 81 (March 2012) was the last University session to confer Masters Degrees using the following previous requirements:

A Masters Degree is awarded to those who have earned their Bachelor's and are also Fellows of the University (someone who has completed twenty-six hours of classes as a student and taught classes at three universities.)

If you believe you should have earned a degree as stated by the requirements above, check your Transcript to see which classes you were listed as attending. If the transcript is incorrect, contact the registrar.

Please note that if you have changed your mundane or SCA names since the first university you attended, your records may be filed under two separate names unless you've informed the registrar. The University database is independent from all other SCA membership records.

In-person class attendance is recorded by the roster sheets turned in by the instructor after the class. For in-person classes, make certain that if you have attended at least 75% of a class that you have legibly signed the roster in order to receive credit.

For virtual classes, check the go to the Mark Virtual Classes Attended page to indicate you took classes, if the teacher didn't mark you attended.

Note that degrees are awarded and announced at the University following the one where you met the degree requirements. You may have met the requirements but the next session has not yet happened.

If you do not see an entry for a class you are certain you attended, contact the Registrar (registrar@university.atlantia.sca.org).

The University of Atlantia staff are always looking for bids for our in-person sessions. We have bid guidelines that should prove useful for potential hosts determine if the site is suitable and understand the process.

While historically in-person University sessions have been hosted by local groups, bids can be made by households or ad hoc committees formed for the purpose.

The Deputy Chancellor of the University is responsible for event coordination and is available if you have questions not answered in the guidelines. They can be reached via email at deputychancellor@university.atlantia.sca.org 

The University of Atlantia closes class registration a few days before the actual session; this is usually at midnight on the Wednesday before. The Registrar, Online Support Coordinator, and TA Coordinator need a couple of days to ensure that everything is in order before the start of the session.

With regret, the staff of the University cannot make scheduling changes except in the case that a class has been cancelled at the last minute. While your individual request to make a new registration or switch a class may seem a small matter, an online University has literally hundreds of students in attendance. The University staff does not have the capacity to offer additional services. In addition, instructors will have prepared their classes based on the number of registrations and may not have the flexibility to alter their planning.

Registration is required to attend a virtual University. Registration closes the end of the day the Wednesday before each session.

Dressing in garb is one of the requirements of regular in-person SCA events. We ask everyone to make an attempt at garb as you would at any other SCA event in order to support the look and feel of a traditional University of Atlantia event. This is especially true if you plan to attend on camera. Please make your best attempt to present an image that helps us support an SCA environment.

Yes! On the day(s) of online University session, the Great Hall (Zoom room) is open to all. In the quiet spaces between class changes you are welcome to visit with University staff and other attendees. If there is a lively and/or private discussion that needs to move out of the common area, a staff member will provide a breakout room.

The link to the Great Hall is not published in public fora to avoid Zoom bombing. The link will be available in your class registration email or contact the Registrar (registrar@university.atlantia.sca.org) to have a link sent to you.

You must use your password when the class opens, not before. The password is not valid if you try to sign into class early.

If the instructor has made changes to their Zoom meeting, you may also need a new password. The instructor should send this information to their students via email. Check your inbox or spam folder.

Note that with the introduction of the Great Hall, the University no longer provides technical support to instructors who opt to use their own platforms for holding classes.

We do! Mistress Drea di Pelegryne has compiled a wonderful resource on Copyright and Online Teaching giving instructors useful best practices, information on the TEACH Act, and on Fair Use. Please use this information to help make your class ready for online presentation at the next online session of our University of Atlantia or beyond.

Note that the University of Atlantia does not record or distribute individual classes unless specifically granted permission by and arrangement with the instructor, or maintain an archive of recorded classes for instructors. The University of Atlantia does have a YouTube presence (https://www.youtube.com/@universityofatlantia) where there is a video archive of materials for which we have permission to post (some Instructor Spotlight session, informational presentations, Convocation, etc.).

Thank you for your interest in teaching! We can help. You can contact onlinelearning@atlantia.sca.org and see our online learning page.

The University of Atlantia supports its instructors with a Great Hall (Zoom room) from which it provides individual classrooms in the form of breakout rooms. Instructors do not have to provide their own video conferencing software. The University will provide the Zoom resources. Instructors can opt for another video platform or use their own Zoom account if they have a preference.

Instructors must have access a device capable of sustaining a video platform (web cam, microphone, ability to navigate a virtual classroom). 

Instructors who need training in the use of Zoom should contact the Online Support Coordinator listed in the Contacts section of the University webpage.

Instructors using University resources will be assigned a Teaching Assistant (TA) to work with, or may designate someone as their TA. It is helpful if the instructor contacts the TA in advance. The core functions in Zoom that the instructor should know are:

• Admit students to the class

• Mute students

• Take attendance

Rarely there are disruptive students in an online class, but should it happen, there are procedures to follow. See how handle disruptive students. Although this will likely fall to your TA, you should be aware of the proper procedures.

If you need help with any of these, the University TA Training information demonstrates how to do the above tasks.

Teaching Assistants (TA):

University has a limited number of TAs to assist instructors. If you do not think you will need one, please indicate such in your class submission form.

Instructors not using a Great Hall classroom will be asked to provide their own TA, but may request one from the University if needed.

University TAs only support Zoom.

Online Classrooms:

Unless otherwise requested, all online classes are automatically assigned to a classroom supported by the University of Atlantia and are named breakout rooms in the Great Hall.

Instructors not using the University Zoom resources are expected to provide the information to access their classes to the Registrar by the end of the instructor review period.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Teaching Assistant (TA) for University of Atlantia.

If you are interested in TAing classes that have requested University’s help to identify TAs please email the TA Coordinator at ta@university.atlantia.sca.org. The University TA Coordinator begins to identify University TAs for classes once the class schedule has been finalized. 

Regardless of whether you assist University as a TA, or assist a friend teaching a class, all TAs should have the knowledge and ability to:

1. Admit students to the class

2. Mute students

3. Take attendance

4. Help with the chat

5. Handle disruptive students

Teaching Assistants must use a computer, as opposed to a phone or tablet, to efficiently TA classes.

Recording of University TA Training

To make attendance easy, we have a feature that lets students self-report their attendance. 

Here is how:

1. Log into http://university.atlantia.sca.org. Once you are logged in...
2. Select the Mark Online Classes Attended link in the left-hand menu.
3. Click the button that says I Attended this Class for each class you attended on Saturday and...Voila! Attendance taken!
4. You can also select the button for I ended up not taking this class to remove it from your list and keep yourself from receiving future emails about the class from the instructor.

NOTE: If one of your classes is not on this list, it's probably because your instructor already marked you as present. You can check the "My Transcript" link to see if this is the case. If you don’t see your class in either area, send an email to registrar@atlantia.sca.org with your name and the class missing from your transcript. 

NOTE: Students who are not registered for an online class but who attend anyway do not receive class credit. If a class is not full, the instructor may allow unregistered attendees at their discretion.

For anyone who prefers an instructional video: https://youtu.be/_LHXvFRxRM4

Instructors:

1. Login and select Classes I'm Teaching to see the list of the classes you were an instructor for.

2. Click on the title of the class you taught, and then on the small red Edit Class link at the top of the page.

3. From here you can click the check box by your name and the name of any students you know attended the class who haven't already marked themselves attended.

4. Finally, click the button Mark Checked Teacher & Students Attended to save the entry.

Note: Instructors need to mark themselves as attended in order to receive teaching credit toward earning a University degree.

Options for capturing and reporting student attendance depend on the virtual classroom platform you are using.

If you are using a University Great Hall classroom, the simplest and quickest way to ensure your students' attendence is marked is by directly reporting to the Registrar.

1. At the start and end of class, you or your TA should ask students to type the name under which they registered for the class in the chat area. You should still encourage students to go to their Classes I'm Taking link on the University website and mark themselves as attended.
2. Copy and paste the contents of the chat area.
3. Email the clipboard contents to the Registrar (registrar@university.atlantia.sca.org). Editing out extraneous material like posted questions is appreciated.

If you are using your own Zoom account, you can pull your attendee list directly out of Zoom to help you take attendance. The feature is buried. Here is how to find it:

1. Log in to Zoom via the website at https://zoom.us as these steps don't work in the application on your computer or device.)
2. Select Account Management on the left hand side menu.
3. Select Reports.
4. Select Active Hosts.
5. Click on the number in the ‘Participants’ column (This will give you a complete list of attendees BY THE NAME THEY ARE LOGGED IN WITH which may not match the SCA name displayed on the roster visible to teachers.)
6. To download a spreadsheet, click on the Export button.
7. Match this list against the roster of your class in this University system to help you take role.

Alternately, you can use the same procedure as for Great Hall classrooms.

Those using other video conference platforms should modify these instructors to fit their apps. The important thing is that students and instructors are marked as attended in the database to ensure credit is given.

In the event of a disruptive participant in a university class:

All teachers and TAs are empowered by the University to remove a disruptive participant.

Instructions for removing a disruptive participant from Zoom or Google Meet.

A disruptive participant should be reported to University staff through any of the available channels below. Please provide the name of the class and a description of the issue. Anyone, including the teacher, TA, or student, can report a disruptive participant and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

Please be polite, factual, and specific about the problem. For example, "The Noble Johannes Doe made disparing comments in the chat feature about the instructor's knowledge and physical appearance. This included 'My left toe knows more about underwater basket weaving than the instructor' and 'at least she's hot to look at'." If you are concerned about privacy, please directly inform the Chancellor or Registrar by requesting a breakout room in the Great Hall, or send an email.

Official University of Atlantia Facebook chat (public)

Great Hall

chancellor@university.atlantia.sca.org

registrar@university.atlantia.sca.org