What You Need to Know

Trocaire offers a variety of academic support services to assist new transfer students with their transition to academic life at the college. These services provide students with the opportunity to get the help they need to excel in their courses and improve their study habits, test taking, and time management skills. Our Palisano Learning Center provides academic coaching and tutoring free of charge to all students. Students set up their online tutoring account to schedule appointments on Trocaire.MyWCOnline.com.  

The staff of the Palisano Learning Center are here to help as you transition into our Trocaire community. They also provide workshops, group tutoring, drop-in sessions, and virtual opportunities to increase your understanding of course materials.  

Stop by the Palisano Learning Center in Library on the Main Campus to learn more.

Academic advising is mandatory each semester. All new transfer students are assigned to a Student Service Advisor in the Advisement & Student Service Center upon acceptance to the college, and must meet with their advisor each semester to plan their program of study and be unlocked for on-line registration. The Student Service Advisors work with students from their initial enrollment at the college through graduation.

Learn more about advisement services.

Trocaire College is an attendance-taking institution that requires student attendance in order for students to remain enrolled in a course. Students are expected to attend, to be on time for all scheduled courses (i.e., lectures, clinical experiences, laboratories, and internships), and to attend all courses in their entirety regardless of the course modality. Instructors are required to maintain attendance records and to report absences. Attendance is considered more than logging into an online course or physically attending a seated course. 

Refer to the official attendance policy. 

The flexibility of our online programs and courses can help you shape a path toward degree completion that works for you.  If this is the path you choose, we are here to help.  Effective and successful online learning takes dedication, motivation, and a healthy dose of self-directedness and good time management too!  

Online Learning Lingo 

Online learning allows students to study in new, alternative, and exciting ways.  It occurs in a virtual environment, in which all teaching, materials, and support are delivered online (over the internet). 

Online courses fall into two categories: synchronous and asynchronous.  It is helpful to understand each of these delivery formats and what is required and expected. 

• Synchronous:  Remote/online classes with a specific day and start and end time mean you do have to login in and be present for the specified time, i.e. 8am-9am = logon at 8am for online/remote class.  
• Asynchronous: Remote/online classes without a specific day and start and end time mean you will be assigned work on a weekly basis with deadlines where applicable but you do not have to ‘attend virtually’ on a specific day/time. 

Attendance for Online Courses

Just as in seated courses, Trocaire College takes attendance for all online courses. Refer to the official attendance policy.

Become a Successful Online Learner

Whether you’re new to online learning or have taken online courses before, we encourage all students to enroll in the self-paced Getting Started with BlackBoard Learn Ultra course, which provides Trocaire College students with tools, strategies and resources to help them be successful online learners. This course is located in the Resources section of the New Student Orientation course in Blackboard.

Enrolled students applying for acceptance into another program at Trocaire must submit the online Program Transfer Form by the college deadline, November 1st for Spring start and April 1st for Fall start. For more information, contact the Advisement & Student Service Center. 

All students are required to complete their FAFSA prior to registering for courses at Trocaire College. This allows students to understand their aid eligibility and the funding they need to assist tuition repayment. Through completing FAFSA, students can check their eligibility and scholarship eligibility. We encourage students to complete this as early as possible to gain the best knowledge of their aid package at Trocaire College.  

The consequences of students not filing their FAFSA early result in students not receiving their financial aid award package prior to the semester. Students are encouraged to complete this and submit any necessary supporting document requested by the Office of Financial Aid in a timely manner. The earlier students complete their FAFSA prior to registration and annually, the better they will know about their aid status.  

Any important emails regarding financial aid will be sent to the student’s Trocaire email address. Students should be checking their Trocaire emails frequently and responding in a timely manner to avoid any delays to their aid packaging process.

Students who may have exhausted their financial aid may work with their Financial Aid advisor and the Student Account office to discover alternative financial support, such as scholarships or employer reimbursement.  

The College has many scholarships available to incoming transfer students. Students must complete the FAFSA prior to review. Contact Financial Aid for more information regarding deadlines.

Having access to a reliable computer is essential to your success in both online and seated courses at Trocaire College. Whether you intend to purchase a personal device, which is highly recommended, or use a public computer, the device must meet the following basic requirements in order for you to successfully complete coursework. In addition to the minimum technology requirements outlined above, your course(s) may require additional hardware or software. Refer to your course syllabi or instructor for more information.

Computer

Personal Devices: Recommendations for Minimum Computer Requirements:

o        i5 or higher equivalent processor

o        minimum of 8GB RAM

o        512GB SSD/HDD (256GB Minimum)

o        Windows 10 or Windows 11 (Windows 10 going end of life October 2025)

o        Webcam: Integrated camera or external USB camera supported by your operating system. Virtual cameras are not supported.

o        Microphone and Speakers

o        Highspeed Internet

o        We do NOT recommend Chromebook, Apple Mac, or Linux computers at this time.

Public Devices:

Note that the use of public access computers (e.g., at a public library) or employer-provided computers may result in slowness or errors (timeouts or access problems) when accessing course materials. Public access computers may not permit access to certain course materials or systems due to security limitations.

Trocaire College Computers:

You can use the computers located in the Rachel R. Savarino Library (main campus) as well as any computer labs during building hours.

Software

• Microsoft Office 365 – All Trocaire students have access to a free Microsoft Office 365 student account associated with their Trocaire email, which gives you access to the web-based versions of Office applications, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more
• Anti-Virus Software updated regularly (recommended)

Internet

A high-speed Internet connection (1.5 Mbps upload and download required; 5 Mbps or better preferred). You can test your internet speed by going to www.speedtest.net and selecting “GO.” 

Browser

Trocaire recommends all students use Google Chrome as their designated browser. Mozilla Firefox can also be used. Note that some software (e.g., Blackboard) is only compatible with these browsers.

eStudent Portal

The eStudent Portal is your one-stop shop to access and manage your academic and financial information, such as:

• Your student number
• Your course schedule
• Your academic progress
• Your unofficial transcript and final grades
• Register for classes
• View your Financial Aid award
• Sign up for a payment plan

Watch the video below (3:28) to explore the eStudent Portal:

Log into eStudent.

Elsevier

Elsevier is a third-party health science information provider that provides resources and online learning activities that align with the NCLEX (licensing exam) and national standards in nursing education. 

Some academic programs at Trocaire, including nursing as well as some arts and sciences courses, use Elsevier’s digital learning platform, Evolve, which allows students to access a variety of academic activities.

Online Library Databases & Resources

The library supports you with more than 150 research databases, where you can find online articles from journals, eBooks, and so much more. You can search the library’s online catalog for the titles and locations of any books in our collection as well as explore online subject guides.

The library has just instituted a 24/7 online reference chat service called LibChat 24/7. This service allows you to ask a question and have it answered by a librarian at any time. Sometimes the librarian answering your question will be from Trocaire, and at other times (when the library is closed) the librarian might be from across the country, or across the globe!

Learn more on the Library’s website.

Microsoft 365

As a Trocaire student, you have access to all of the web-based Microsoft Office applications that you know and love, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel through Microsoft Office 365. You will also use Microsoft Teams Meetings to connect virtually with your instructor, peers, and college staff. Note that this Microsoft Office 365 account gives you access to the web-based versions of Office applications only, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. You will not be able to download these applications on your personal device (i.e., desktop computer or laptop) for offline use.

Blackboard

Blackboard is Trocaire’s Learning Management System. If you are taking an online course, you will use Blackboard to access course content, complete activities, and submit assessments. If you are taking a seated course, your instructor may or may not use Moodle for these things. 

Log into Blackboard

ProctorU

ProctorU is a proctoring service that monitors you while you are taking your exams online. By relying on professionals to secure your online testing environment, we can improve academic integrity and promote student success by providing consistent remote assessment experiences.

Outlook Email

Email is the primary form of communication at Trocaire. Through Outlook, you can send and receive emails from your Trocaire email address through your browser or mobile device. In addition to using webmail for sending and receiving emails, you can also use it to stay organized with your Outlook calendar and the tasks function. 

Note that you should only contact Trocaire faculty, staff, and other students from your Trocaire email address. Messages sent from your personal email address are not considered official communication and you may not receive a response.

At a minimum, students should have basic computer literacy skills including: 

• Using a keyboard and mouse
• Selecting, copying, pasting text
• Sending and receiving email
• Saving and retrieving files in different formats (.docx, .pdf, .pptx., etc.)
• Using a text editor (changing fonts, inserting links, using spell check, etc.)
• Browsing for files to attach and upload
• Accessing the Internet using a web browser and resetting basic web browser settings (clearing cache/history, cookies, etc.) 

To maintain compliance with the U.S. Department of Education requirement CFR 602.17(g), all IT usernames and passwords must be kept secure at all times. Do not share your Trocaire log-in information with anyone, including college employees.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) constantly strives to provide the best protection for your usernames and passwords. In keeping with these practices, OIT may ask questions to verify your identity prior to assisting with password resets via phone, email or in-person, such as home address (on file), personal email address (on file), or the last 4 digits of your social security number.

While there is a parking lot at our Transit Road location, parking is on a first-come first-serve basis on the streets surrounding the Main Campus. Free parking is also available in the Salem Lutheran Church parking lot on Whitfield Avenue in the visitor’s parking area which is located 4 rows back from the church. Whitfield Avenue is located off McKinley Parkway near the McClellan Circle. At the end of Choate Ave., take the 3rd exit at the circle onto McKinley Parkway and turn left onto Whitfield Avenue. The church will be on your left hand side.  The Trocaire shuttle runs from this parking lot and the Salem Lutheran parking lot.