Distance Instructions

Welcome to your Distance course! There are about 40 courses to choose from in our distance catalog. In Populi before you register you can hit the linked course title and read the description, who the video lecturer is, the textbook information, and syllabus (Populi-> Registration Tab -> Term:Distance).

Once you have enrolled in a Distance Course you have 12-weeks to complete the material. You may start right away.

These courses are team taught. The person that lectured the videos is not always the instructor assigned to the Distance course. The team has designed the homework for the Distance format that may not be the same as what the video lecture had assigned when the course was live. Many times a new distance instructor will be interacting with you and grading your work.

Populi Course Layout 

Under the course page in Populi you will find a helpful left menu.

Dashboard – this is where the genral announcements for the whole class are written. If you post to a dashboard all of the other students will receive an email.

Syllabus – The syllabus page has your distance instructor. Please do not email or ask questions of the video lecturer unless they are the assigned distance instructor. This syllabus page will tell you about the textbooks you may need to purchase and a general outline of the course.

Lessons – This may be the most important link in the class. This takes you to the videos. Every class has around 20-25 hours of guided instruction. You must watch all of the video lectures. At the end of the course you will need to take the Video Watching Points assignment. It is one questions asking what percentage of the videos you watched.

Files – The files section will have any course material provided by the Distance instructor. This may include slides, manuals, reading assignments, or other materials provided by the Distance team. This will not include any course manuals or textbooks that the student must purchase from external sources (see the syllabus page for those items). The Files section may have the questions to the final exam, please study before taking it. You will have 2-3 tries for the final exam; it is not meant to be a stressful assignment. It is meant to help you master the course material. 

Assignments – The team has designed the homework for the Distance format that may not be the same as what the video lecture had assigned when the course was live. The Distance team has prepared the online experience to meet the needs of the student learning in this format. Many courses have homework assignment due throughout the course. Please also note that some instructors want you to do the homework before watching the lecture. This helps you synthesize your own ideas and insights from Scripture and the reading before hearing the lecturers view. The instructor will be emailed when you turn in your assignments. All homework is to be submitted in Populi (if homework is emailed to an instructor or lost, it is on the student). There is typically a final exam, which is not meant to be stressful. The assignment page will also show your grades.

Populi Questions

If you need help turning in assignments or with any functions of Populi please contact info@ncbc.net or 925-846-6464.

Contact your Instructor

There are multiple ways to communicate in this course. If you need to contact your instructor please go to “Syllabus” (left side menu) and there is a link to send them an email. Instructors expect to get emails and questions from students in the Distance Courses. If this is a larger course and you have a general question that may be of interest to many people post it on the “Dashboard” (see left side menu).  

Library Services

If you need help with the Virtual Resource Center (Library services) or finding research resources for your homework, please contact librarian@ncbc.net or visit the Virtual Resource Center at www.ncbc.net/library