Frequently Asked Questions
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions below.
OMBA Technology
OMBA students regularly utilize the following technologies:
- Blackboard (Learning Management System) is where the course content is housed.
- OMBA Link is where you can schedule appointments with and contact your Learning Facilitator and/or Student Success Specialist, submit helpdesk tickets, engage with Affinity Groups and events, and receive messaging.
- BU Student Link houses student information related to: course history, grades/transcripts, contact information, graduation, compliance.
- Yellowdig (Discussion Board System) is where you can comment and post relevant material that supports in-class learning and academic content.
- Feedback Fruits (Peer to Peer Engagement Tool) is where students can peer review content and provide reflection to feedback.
- Pronto (Communication Software) is where students can engage with each other informally.
- Students also use BU Connects, OMBA Facebook and Instagram groups to stay connected; these forums are not used as formal channels of communication for the program but rather for informal communication and networking between students.
Yellowdig may be accessed through the Blackboard course. Within the course, you will see a prompt that looks like this: Discussion | Yellowdig for Module. Click the prompt and you will be directly sent to the Yellowdig tool.
Feedback Fruits is an integrated tool within Blackboard, and you will login through Blackboard and do not need to log in separately. You will be automatically directed to Feedback Fruits from the links in Blackboard for assignments that are utilizing the platform (i.e. assignments that require peer feedback).
Course/Mod Related
All syllabi are released when the Module launches. Syllabi cannot be distributed in advance of the Mod’s start date.
Each week it is best to review the following resources to begin your learning journey: Plan Your Week document, Blackboard announcements for the week, and the student checklist in OMBA Link which is helpful in tracking your progress.
Assignments will not be reopened for late submissions. If you have an emergency or extenuating circumstance, please contact your Learning Facilitator. You will be asked for any supporting documentation to support your request. Please keep in mind, shifting or busy work schedules do not meet the requirement for an emergency or extenuating circumstance. As noted in the syllabi, late team assignments will not be accepted.
Due to copyright issues, course content videos cannot be downloaded. They can be viewed within the content folder in Blackboard.
Yes, Live Sessions are recorded, and you can find those recordings in the ‘Attend LIVE Session’ folder for each week. Recordings are posted in the same folder by the end of the day each Friday after the Live Session.
Yes, each module (1-6) consists of weekly Live Sessions (AM and PM sessions), and a number of those Live Sessions are mandatory for the module. These dates are articulated to students in advance of the module and again in the syllabi and require active participation in the required Live Sessions. Attendance at the mandatory Live Sessions is tracked. Important content that reinforces the learning is communicated during the Live Sessions.
No, your teams will change each Mod. Teaming is an integral part of the OMBA curriculum and having the opportunity to learn and refine your teaming skills with a different team each Mod allows for an iterative cycle of teaming.
Yes, you will have a capstone or final project in every Mod. The capstone will be different and tailored to the specific pedagogical needs of that Mod’s content.
Course materials will vary by Mod. More information about books and materials will be sent to you prior to each Mod.
Yes, you will retain access to the Blackboard course for each Mod for five years from the date of completion. We recommend saving any material that you hope to retain long-term.
Career & Networking
The Online MBA is best suited for mid-career working professionals with several years of work experience. The program may not be the best fit for those students looking to make a major career change. While at this time one-on-one appointments with Questrom career staff are not a service offering, Online MBA students may attend any on-campus events that are not restricted to a certain population – similar to all BU and Questrom students. Population restrictions are visible on event calendars and on our recruitment site (Handshake). Online MBA Students will have access to the BU and Questrom online networking platforms and recruitment site. In addition, students will have access to a number of online career resources available to all BU online students.
Affinity Groups, Success Team events, BU Connects, and OMBA Facebook and Instagram groups also provide opportunities to create connections and network with other students.
Affinity Groups are a vehicle for meeting and networking with other OMBA students with whom you share common interests, industries, or demographics. To view and join Affinity Groups, visit OMBA Link/Engage. If you are interested in starting a new Affinity Group, please reach out to your Success Specialist to learn about the process.
Grading
Final grades are posted no later than 72 business hours after the last day of the mod. Students can access their grades via the BU Student Link. If your employer requires documentation before that date, please contact your Student Success Specialist at least a week in advance of your employer’s deadline so they can collaborate with you to provide the necessary documentation.
Students can track their performance in several ways. Points earned are visible in Yellowdig for those assignments, and Blackboard for most other assignments. At the mid-point in the term (approx. Week 7), the OMBA program will send general performance letters regarding your status (meeting satisfactory performance, not meeting satisfactory performance or on the cusp of not meeting satisfactory performance). Final grades are submitted 72 hours after the last class.
You can determine your current percentage by dividing the total number of points you have earned thus far over the total number of earnable points (e.g., 400/450). However, a final letter grade is determined at the end of the Mod, aligning with Questrom’s grading policy. Students are welcome to reach out to their Learning Facilitator to get an idea of their grade and discuss their progress. The OMBA philosophy is that grades provide accountability, but that learning is the main focus.
Grade appeals are rare and formal. Grading is the prerogative of the faculty and Learning Facilitator and is based upon a student’s performance against an articulated set of assignments and expectations. A grade appeal grievance must be grounded in facts and demonstrated evidence. A student can appeal their grade if they believe the grade was:
- assigned on some basis other than performance in the Module; or,
- assigned to a student by resorting to unreasonable standards different from those which were applied to other students in that Module; or,
- assigned to a student based on criteria that are substantial, unreasonable, and an unannounced departure from the instructor’s previously articulated standards.
Issues that do not meet one or more of these criteria are not appropriate bases for a grade appeal. Only final course grades may be formally appealed. Grades that are the result of academic misconduct are not appealable. Students must file the appeal to their Learning Facilitator within 4 weeks of the release date for grades. Before filing a formal appeal, a student is urged to resolve a grievance informally by meeting with the Learning Facilitator responsible for the grading of the course to discuss the student’s concerns. The student is responsible for bringing copies of all relevant information to the meeting (I.e., course syllabus, assignment sheet, graded work). The student should be prepared to show evidence of arbitrary grading. The Learning Facilitator is expected to discuss the student’s concern and to explain the basis for determining the grade.
If the student and the Learning Facilitator are unable to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution, the student may file a formal appeal with the lead faculty member of the Module. To begin the process of a formal appeal, the student must submit a written statement that details the basis for the allegation of arbitrary grading, and present adequate evidence that supports the allegation. The faculty member may seek to resolve the matter between the Learning Facilitator and student or determine a resolution after a review of the materials.
If the student wishes to appeal the faculty member’s decision, he/she may do so to the Assistant Dean and Senior Associate Dean of the OMBA Program (Email: marianas@bu.edu, subject line: Grade Appeal).
The Student Handbook is your best resource for grading information and related policies. The Handbook can be accessed through OMBA Link, in the Resources and Forms section.
General
The OMBA academic calendar can be found in OMBA Link in the Resources and Forms section and here.
Students do not need to submit a request to have their ID mailed to them – IDs are sent to all newly enrolled students towards the middle of their entering semester. ID cards are mailed via standard U.S. mail to the home address listed on file for each student in the BU Student Link (please note that the home address is different from the local address). OMBA is not responsible for ID cards that may get lost in the mail. If a student’s ID card does not arrive at their listed home address by the end of the semester in which it was sent, they may request one (1) ID reprint via ombasuccess@bu.edu. Reprints will be mailed out during the next standard ID mailing semester.
Yes, all BU graduate students must complete the sexual misconduct prevention training by the deadline. You can access the training via the ‘Compliance’ tab in the BU Student Link. Failure to complete the training by the deadline will result in a registration hold, and we will be unable to register you for your next course. Sexual Misconduct Training information and troubleshooting tips can be found here:
Your Student Success Specialist will register you for each of your modules. Around the midpoint of each semester, you’ll receive an Intent to Register form on which you will indicate your plans for the upcoming semester. Once you submit the form, the Success Team will process your registration. This process may take a few weeks; you’ll receive a confirmation email once your registration has been finalized.
It is essential that you complete the Intent to Register form in a timely manner. Additionally, in order for the Success Team to process your registration, the required Sexual Misconduct Training must be completed and your student account must be in good standing, otherwise there will be a registration hold on your account.
Graduation/Commencement
Yes, all OMBA students will be invited to participate in commencement ceremonies. Boston University holds commencement once a year in May, and students who have completed their coursework in January, May, or August of that year are eligible to participate.
General BU diploma information can be found here: https://www.bu.edu/reg/graduation/diploma-graduation-faqs/
Commencement dates and details can be found here: https://www.bu.edu/commencement/for-students/. Additionally, the Success Team will send information specific to OMBA graduates during the spring semester.
After you graduate, you will have access to all the services and benefits available to Boston University and Questrom Alumni, which includes limited access to BU Libraries’ resources. For a list of these resources, please visit the BU Libraries website: https://www.bu.edu/library/services/alumni/
