Why you should familiarise yourself with I-Learn, your one-stop-shop for everything learning at Arden!  

Hello there, I’m Chris, a distance-learning student soon to graduate, and I thought this would be a great time to explain to new students (or not so new!) why you should spend a little time getting to grips and familiarising yourself with I-Learn as it will empower your learning and enhance your student experience! This article won’t go through everything that is available as there is too much to mention but should help you get your bearings with everything Arden! 

The ‘Home’ Screen 

The Home screen is your landing page once you log in. This is where the important announcements and updates are posted: sometimes it will be in the big banner and sometimes it will appear as a pop-up.  If you are new and scroll further down, you will find the link to your induction, also called StartSmart. I cannot recommend this enough to get to know Arden University! This will also explain how to complete your all-important milestones.  

You will also see further boxes such as Support, where you can find out more about all the options available to you including the wellbeing team. You will then also see a ‘Show Assignment Feedback’ link, this is where you can view your feedback from your markers once your assignments have been marked.  

If you are not-so-new, you will also see the module(s) you are currently studying – these will only appear once you have released them on E-Vision (accessed through the Student Hub). Your modules will each have sections such as lessons to complete in your own time whenever it suits you, but also a News and FAQ section for any announcements from your tutor or school. This will also include the breakdown of when your lectures will take place which you can join live (highly recommend this) or catch-up on demand if this is more convenient or to fit around your other commitments. 

Back to the Home screen and there is also a link to Unitu which is the student voice platform where you can speak to other students either on the same course as you or from the wider university. If you choose to become a student representative (something I highly recommend considering as you become the voice of students on your programme and get to find out how things work behind the scenes), a specific portal will appear here too. (Note: maybe have a link to the other article at this point). 

Finally, between the hours of X and X UK time, you will notice a speech bubble at the bottom right of your screen, this is the livechat where you can speak to Student Support advisers who are on hand to answer any queries you may have. They can also be contacted by phone or email should you prefer these methods. 

The Student Hub Link 

Back at the top of the main I-Learn page, you will see a Student Hub link. When you click on this, this sends you to the hub where you can access your emails and all the services on offer which includes ‘On Track’ which provides customised assistance if you ever find yourself needing support to complete an assignment or need to retake it.  

There is also a link to the Student Portal (also called E-Vision), this is self-service and provides access to all your personal details, grades, finance details and an option to generate official letters (such as references or transcripts) should you ever need them.  

Finally, there is also a ‘Support and Services’ link should you ever need to contact any of Arden’s departments. 

The ‘Resources’ Tab 

Back at the top of the main I-Learn landing page, your resources tab is something you will use continuously as it gives you access to: 

• Learning Success Hub: this includes all your libraries (no need to buy books or journals!) but also access to Academic Skills which are sessions that run to explain and improve your academic writing and assignments. I cannot recommend this enough. You can also book 1-2-1s with an Academic Skills Tutor to focus more specifically on your own development. Book a session, it was a gamechanger for me!  

• A-Z of Key Information: this is your go-to place for anything to do with procedures, rules and policies such as the student handbook, calendars and word count policies. There is also guidance on dissertations, and this is where ARMS (the dissertation ethics system) is located, but no need to think about this until you get to your very final module and you will get extra guidance when you reach that point. 

• Arden Futures: this is the Careers service. They are great and will help you explore careers options and sectors to develop your skills. It is about ensuring that your Arden student experience and degree prepares you for your next role, whatever that may be! I guarantee you will end up considering career options that you had never thought about! 

• Wellbeing Services: the recently redesigned wellbeing portal is a great place to find out more about the support Arden can offer, such as mental health and wellbeing, disability and accessibility, financial support and safeguarding. Students should never fear or be embarrassed to ask for help or for an appointment, respect and compassion is what will be meeting you on the other side. 

I hope this breakdown helps and wish you the best of luck with your studies. If you are just starting, do not worry if you feel there is a lot out there. We all went through the feelings that arise when starting (a mix of excitement and apprehension in equal measures) but you will soon get used to things.

Need additional support? Check out Your Students' Association Advice support pages!