The following is an overview of the e-Learning program offered in the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. Please contact us immediately if you have further questions or concerns.

e-Learning, or electronic learning, is the delivery of a learning, training, or education program by electronic means. It involves the use of a computer or electronic device to provide training, educational, or learning material. In most cases, the entire course, from learning content to writing the final exam, is done remotely through a Learning Management System (LMS), where the student and the teacher never meet face-to-face.

The Ministry of Education and the WECDSB provide e-Learning opportunities to attempt to meet the needs of all of our young people. In some cases, a particular school may not be able to offer all of the courses students may need or want for their unique situation. e-Learning provides another option for students to achieve their Ontario Secondary School Diploma and, at the same time, allows them to experience learning in a way that many post-secondary institutions either offer as an option or as a requirement.

The nature of an online course is much the same as a face-to-face course in that teachers provide paths to learning the curriculum expectations set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education. They deliver lessons and key learning entirely thought the LMS.

Often, courses are structured in modules of learning with several activities inside each module. The advantage of the LMS is that many of these activities are delivered using engaging multimedia. The LMS allows teachers to differentiate instruction easily for students in this learning environment. Further, student work is submitted, assessed, and feedback is given all through the LMS. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to harness the power of multimedia to demonstrate their learning in different ways.

The major difference between online learning and face-to-face learning is the anytime, anywhere access offered with the LMS. Students and teachers can communicate and collaborate from almost any device in a safe, secure, and private learning environment.

The WECDSB offers e-Learning courses throughout the school and in the summer, which lasts for approximately five weeks.

The WECDSB is a member of the Ontario e-Learning Consortium (OeLC) as well as the Ontario Catholic eLearning Consortium (OCeLC), consisting of 26 member school boards. As members students may enroll in e-Learning courses being taught in other boards.

To learn more about course offerings, please visit the OeLC website at http://prism.elearningstudents.ca/

Ideally, students taking an e-Learning course should fit a certain profile because of the nature of learning in a digital environment. All of the learning skills that are so vital for success in a traditional face-to-face classroom may be more important in an e-Learning classroom.

A successful eLearner

 Is highly motivated

 Is able to work independently

 Has access to a computer and the internet

 Possesses adequate computer skills

 Is able to meet deadlines

The first step for students interested in taking an e-learning course is to contact their Guidance Counselor. In most cases, they will be able to register them in a course immediately.

If a student intends to drop a course, then they must contact the course teacher and discuss the change with them, as well as with the home school guidance counselor.

All materials to support courses are available through the LMS. There are internet. links with many of the lessons. Every attempt is made to keep the links active, however, due to the very nature of the web this may not always be the case. If a link is inactive, please notify the teacher so the issue may be investigated. School and community libraries are also available to support learning.

One of the key aspects of e-learning is communication with the teacher and other students. This is done mostly through an internal email system within the LMS. The email component of the LMS is secure and confidential. Each individual in the class will have an email address, which students may use to send information or discuss a group work assignment. Students may email questions to the teacher and the teacher will reply as soon as it is possible.

Students having any questions or difficulties with course material, should contact the teacher. Students having difficulties using any of the course tools, please contact Desire2Learn Technical Support at 1-877-325-7778.

In order to be successful in an online course students must stay up to date on assignments and be actively involved in the discussions. Students are responsible for establishing their own schedule. Students should expect to spend a minimum of 6 hours per week online in an e-learning course. This time may include:

 Working through course content

 Communicating with the teacher and other classmates

 Submitting assignments

 Checking feedback from the teacher

Students may move rapidly through the course material; however, it is very important that they do not miss out on the opportunity for feedback from the teacher before going too far ahead. Having this feedback will be very important as it will ensure understanding of material and mastery of the critical concepts that are needed to proceed successfully. Misunderstanding of material can lead to future problems. Teachers may facilitate timelines through the use of the LMS, which can be set to allow for certain material to be released, quizzes opened, and assignments accepted at specific times.

The teacher will be available by email throughout the week. Teachers may identify scheduled chats, assignments and threaded discussion opportunities in which student participation and attendance are mandatory. All interactions and communications are archived in the system. The teacher will update the Course Home Page regularly. Students should visit this page daily to check for updates that may affect the course.

Students will find an online student orientation course within the LMS. It will give them a sense of how the online learning environment works and flows. The modules must be completed prior to the student being enrolled in their requested course.

Students will be required to contribute to classroom discussion using the DISCUSSION tool on the LMS. The teacher may periodically post questions on the discussion board. It is an expectation of the course that students respond to the posts of others and share their perspective on the questions or issues posted. This interactive discussion is a very powerful tool to help develop a supportive learning community.

Reviews and quizzes may be scored instantly or by the teacher – depending on the nature of the question and the course. Students may use the review to help prepare for the module test or exam.

Many of the modules will contain questions to reinforce understanding of a skill, attitude or concept. The teacher will notify students if the responses to the questions need to be submitted for assessment.

Electronic drop boxes are provided with a secure drop box inside the LMS. This is also an electronic storage location for all completed assignments. The teacher will be extracting all assignments and tests submitted to them from this location. The drop box has a time stamp feature that will keep track of the date and time the work is submitted. This feature ensures that assignments will never be misplaced or lost.

All assignments must be submitted to the teacher through the assignment drop box. Individual student submissions cannot be accessed by anyone other than the teacher. It is possible for the teacher to set the time at which submissions may begin and close. It is in the best interest of the student to always refer to the marking rubric in order to understand the marking scheme. This will enable students to know how the teacher will be assessing the content and quality of their work.

Assignments are provided to complete as students move through the course and they are submitted directly to the teacher in the drop box. These assignments will make up a large percentage of the work that will be assessed and evaluated, to arrive at the final grade for the course.

Often there will be a resource toolbox of materials and software titles to support the assignment linked into the module.

Some modules or groups of modules will include a summative test or culminating activity. The makeup and structure of these assessments will be similar to the daily course work.

e-Learning requires considerable communications via electronic means, between the individuals of the online community. In order for students and the teacher to work together in a virtual classroom, communication norms must be established and observed. The following guidelines will help to ensure that all are efficient and courteous members of the online community:

 Be considerate of the opinions and feelings of others in all interactions

 Do not use profane/improper language or harass anyone

 All communications with teachers or WECDSB staff will make use of full sentence structure and traditional spelling, punctuation and grammar

 Students are responsible for the security of their username and password

 As in all classrooms, it is important to express opinions, answer questions and take part in discussions. Please allow all community members to become involved and provide the opportunity for all individuals to express themselves

 Students must identify themselves on all posts, as they are responsible for their opinion just as they would be in a face-to-face environment

 Students are expected to follow these guidelines closely during all personal and electronic communications. Abuse of communications protocols may result in loss of LMS privileges, suspension or removal from the course

There is one thing that we know about computers; they sometimes fail. Students in an e-learning course must be prepared to deal with this rare occurrence. It is the student’s responsibility to save copies of all assignments submitted for evaluation. It is strongly recommended that they routinely backup all digital work. A computer crashing will not be considered as acceptable reason for falling behind with work. Students must have up-to-date virus protection software on their computers.

Students will be expected to be self-directed within the school environment. It will be up to the student to:

 Familiarize themselves with the course and student information

 Attend, “virtually”, all class activities such as discussions and chats as listed by the teacher

 Log onto the LMS each school day to check the Course Home Page for updates, as well as communications with teachers and classmates

 Abide by the local school’s Acceptable Use Agreements and the guidelines set out in this document

 Ask the teacher for help as soon as they realize they are having difficulties with the subject matter

Assignments

Just as in all traditional classrooms the teacher is responsible for the assessment of all student work. Reporting results to the student will be done via email in the LMS, as soon as the assignment is marked.

Quizzes and Tests

Quizzes will be written within the LMS. Students will access these from the course content section and hand them in to the drop box. The teacher will give instruction on how these will be written. The teacher may have all persons write them at once in an area where students can be supervised but school staff members. It is important that students are ready to write the test as sib as they open it, as the event will be timed by the LMS.

Examinations

Examinations will be written under supervision at the student’s home school. The dates of exams will be established in consultation with the teacher.

Report Cards

The results for e-learning courses will be reported by the teacher for that course. If the student is attending regular classes at a school within the WECDSB, then the student will receive two report cards for each reporting period. They will receive one from their home school with all marks for traditional courses and a separate report card from the school offering the e-learning course. The student’s home school will enter the final mark onto the student official transcript of marks.

Learning Skills

Learning skills are an integral part of the Ontario report card. As such, these will be reported for each course on the provincial report card.

Communication with Parents and Guardians

All parents of students under 18 years of age may provide their email address to the online learning teacher to facilitate efficient communication of assessments/evaluations or messages about their child. Teachers will also communicate concerns or successes via telephone to parents as in all traditional classes. Parents should feel free to contact the e-learning teacher at his or her home school whenever the need arises.