Frequently Asked Questions

A pacing guide is a schedule of all due dates. At the beginning of the course you have due dates Wednesday and Sunday, and as we progress through the course and slow down some, your due dates will always fall on Friday. All work is due midnight on Friday. 

We do not follow the traditional school schedule and it is therefore important to look at the pacing guide to plan ahead as needed.

Yes, you have weekly due dates. All work for the week is typically due on Friday. If course work due is turned in after Sunday, it will be considered late and a late penalty will apply. What activities you should complete and by when is listed on the pacing guide. VirutalSC does not follow a typical school schedule and it is important for you to follow our pacing guide and to plan ahead as needed.

Here are some tips for success:

• Submit your work by the due dates listed on the pacing guide (each pacing guide can be found under the specific classes on this website and in the course under Course Overview & Introduction).

• You should expect to spend 1-2 hours each day in the course in order to keep up with the pacing guide.

• If you get stuck in the course, you should contact me ASAP. 

• The best way to contact me is via email through your student dashboard or Remind.

Yes and no! You have weekly due dates and scheduled live sessions. You can work ahead, however, you should not fall behind. Falling behind could result in you doing being able to participate in the Interpersonal Speaking Tasks. Not logging in and making progress will result in you being dropped from the course.

Yes, you absolutely can! You will encounter forums where you will need to leave comments on what others wrote. You can leave "placeholder" comments for the time being, but it is your responsibility to circle back and leave proper, interactive comments once others get to the assignment. Not doing so can result in a lower grade and an incomplete assignment. 

A large part of learning a language is using it to interact with others. Since this course is interactive, it is imperative we all move through the course together, at the same or similar pace. You will interact through culture forums & interpersonal written forums, where you leave questions or comments on what someone shared. In order to be successful & get the most out of the course, material, and instruction, it is important to be on pace, so you have the same knowledge to engage in the conversation. 

Use your pacing guide and live sessions schedule to plan ahead! All due dates and instructional live sessions are listed! You can always work ahead and complete assignments early. Definitely ALWAYS COMMUNICATE! PLAN AHEAD! Contact your teacher in advance, if you know there is a conflict. If something comes up and it is an extenuating circumstance you must contact your instructor and we will go from there. 

We meet virtually to practice, work through, review, and engage with the material learned during the week. There are 15 scheduled Instructional Live Sessions, as well as tutoring times (by appointment only) and off weeks, where you should focus on making recordings and submissions.

Live sessions are highly recommended in VirtualSC’s World Languages courses. These sessions provide you with an opportunity to engage witht he material covered and develop proficiency in speaking the language, which is an integral part of second language acquisition. All students are expected to participate in instructional live sessions. 

If you missed an instructional live session, you should view the recording to still benefit from the review and topics covered. Understand that viewing the recording allows you to be back on track and on pace with everyone else. 

•  Mark all live sessions on your calendar

•  Make sure to login 10 mins before time.

•  Prepare for your live session by being on pace.

•  Make sure your microphone/headset is plugged in BEFORE logging into the session.

•  Find a quiet place to attend.

•  Do NOT leave the TV or other distractions on during your live session.

•  Complete the Audio Setup when you enter the live session.

The questions on this exam are ONLY from Units 1 and 2. There are numbered questions on this test, but many of them contain multiple parts. 

• You will have only one attempt at this exam.

• You will have 2 hours to complete the exam. 

• This test is not proctored.

• Make sure you have reviewed the vocabulary and grammar covered in Units 1 and 2.

• You will not be allowed to use any outside materials to complete this test.

No, it is not. Only the final exam is a proctored exam. You can proceed with the midterm as soon as you have competed Unit 2. 

The questions on this exam are ONLY from Units 3 and 4. There are numbered questions, but many contain multiple parts. 

• You have only one attempt at this exam.

• You have 2 hours to complete the exam.

• The final exam must be proctored.

• Please contact your guidance counselor/school to determine when you complete your test.

• Use the study guide and practice activities to help prepare for the exam. 

All VirtualSC initial credit courses require a proctored final exam. VirtualSC final exams will be given during the times scheduled according to the Dates & Deadlines guide for each enrollment session. Students requesting to take a final exam early must meet the following requirements:

• Must have a grade of 80% or higher in the course.

• Cannot have any zeros on any assignments in the course.

• Must have approval from the course's teacher.

Public school and private school students will be proctored as arranged by their sponsor school. Proctors must be a South Carolina certified teacher, media specialist, school counselor or administrator. The date, time and location for the final exam will be selected by the sponsor school and will (unless you are notified otherwise) correspond to the exam dates listed in the Dates & Deadlines guide. Alternative exam arrangements must be approved by the sponsor school (different time, location, proctor, etc.). Students may find information regarding final exam arrangements for their school by accessing the Final Exam Instructions page. Please note that this information is self-reported by each school and the most accurate source of information regarding final exam dates/time/locations is the student's sponsoring school. Students should contact their sponsor schools upon enrollment in the case that there any concerns about the scheduled exam dates. 

Home school students or their parent/guardians are responsible for securing an appropriate proctor to facilitate the final exam. Exam proctors must hold a South Carolina Educator Certificate, and cannot be related to the student taking the exam. To receive approval for an exam proctor, please submit the Proctor Verification Form to VirtualSC. Upon approval, VirtualSC will contact the proctor with final exam instructions. Alternatively, a home school student or their parent/guardian may contact a local public or private school to request a seat during their proctored exams. If a school is willing to accommodate the request, the student will take their final exam on the date and time provided by the school.

Students experiencing difficulty in arranging for their final exams may discuss ProctorU (an online live proctoring service) as a testing option with their counselor or sponsor school. ProctorU is a private company and charges a fee for their services. Students utilizing this resource should notify their school prior to booking the date online.

https://virtualsc.org/finalexampolicy/ 

• There are two final projects.

• Your final projects count 50% of your final exam grade. (10% final project, 10% final exam, 80% course work)

• Please take the time to do your best and complete them to the best of your ability.

• Use your time wisely to study and prepare.

This is a performance based course.  Only work, where you showcase what you have learned count towards your final grade. That includes tasks (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational), culture forums, quizzes, projects & finals.  The overall coursework is weighted by unit, with all units equally weighted for a total of 80%.  The final projects are 10% while the proctored final exam is the remaining 10%.

80% course work (culture forums, quizzes and tasks - no practice/lessons)

10% final project

10% final exam

The final grade in this course results from the following:

• Coursework: 80%

• Final Projects: 10%

• Final Exam: 10%

VirtualSC courses uses the South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale:

Letter Grade // Numerical Grade

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

Students taking initial credit courses may withdraw within the first fourteen (14) days of class without penalty. In addition, you will be automatically withdrawn from a course for inactivity within the first fourteen (14) days.  Please review the VirtualSC Withdrawal Policy for more information. https://virtualsc.org/withdrawal/ 

Attendance Violation

• Inactivity in the Course for 14+ days

• https://virtualsc.org/attendance-policy/ 

Academic Integrity

• Using Outside Sources

• Copying from another student

• Plagiarizing 

• After two violations, you will be removed from the course

• https://virtualsc.org/academic-integrity-policy/ 

Code of Conduct Violations 

• https://virtualsc.org/student-code-of-conduct/ 

• Only one reinstatement will be allowed per course per term.

• Students who have been withdrawn for any reason, except withdrawals due to Academic Integrity or Code of Conduct Violations, can be reinstated within 7 calendar days of the withdrawal date with a request for reinstatement from their sponsoring School Counselor along with a submitted Course Reinstatement Plan (follow link below to access the template). The request, along with the Reinstatement Plan should be emailed to both the teacher and the Student Services Team at virtualsc@ed.sc.gov. Note: A Reinstatement Plan submitted for a summer course may be submitted with only a student and parent signature.

• The initial day of withdrawal will start the seven-day timeline for request submission. In other words, the withdrawal date is day 1 of the 7 calendar days. After 7 calendar days from the date of the withdrawal, the student will no longer be reinstated into a course for any reason and will need to re-enroll in the course in a future enrollment period. Students are allowed one reinstatement per course per term.

• Students submitting a reinstatement plan that requires revision must submit the revised reinstatement plan, per the teacher's feedback and instruction, within 48 hours. Revised plans submitted beyond the 48 hour deadline will not be considered for reinstatement.

• Students withdrawn from more than one course for inactivity must submit one reinstatement plan per course.

• Students who have been withdrawn by their sponsoring School Counselor may request reinstatement into a course by contacting their School Counselor directly, who will ask for the reinstatement on behalf of the student. School Counselors may request to have a student reinstated into any course within 7 calendar days of the student's withdrawal from the course. After 7 calendar days the student will no longer be reinstated into a course and will need to re-enroll in a future enrollment period.

• Reinstatement will not be permitted within three weeks of the final exam, with the exception of yearlong (Sept-May) courses that will discontinue reinstatement eligibility in mid-January.

• For more detail, please review the procedures here: https://virtualsc.org/reinstatement/ 

Please note your teacher's office hours as listed in the course! If it is not an emergency and outside your teacher's office hours, rather than calling or texting, especially if later in the evening, send an email and he/she will give it my attention first thing back in office hours.

The best ways to reach your instructor will be via phone, the Student Dashboard for emails, or Remind for text messages! Check in your course for phone numbers and signing up for Remind!

Phone

If you do not reach your instructor immediately by phone, please leave a detailed voicemail with your name, course name, and phone number. Your teacher will return all voicemails within 24 working hours. 

Student Dashboard 

Email your instructor anytime in your student dashboard in Genius! Please remember to include your course name in all messages. Your teacher will be using Genius messaging on a regular basis to send you updates and announcements. You should NOT be using Outlook to send emails, make sure to use your Student Dashboard!

Remind

Join your class Remind group. This is a great way to get updates and reminders as well as being able to text your teacher with questions. Do not text your instructor using their phone number, use Remind for that as you then do not have to include your name & course information - Remind takes care of that for you ;). 

Check in your course for your teacher's Office Hours! They are listed right next to their picture and contact information!

No, you should not ;). 

Please note your teacher's office hours! Your teacher often have nights where he/she may work later, but you really want to make sure not to call or text after 9pm. 

Also remember, your teacher will have evening live sessions and may not be able to respond immediately, if he/she is in a live session. 

If it is not an emergency and outside your teacher's office hours, rather than calling or texting, especially if later in the evening, send an email and he/she will give it their attention first thing back in office hours.

Use the Student Dashboard in Genius to send email messages!!

You should also be mindful to formulate it respectfully. It is an email to your teacher, in a professional setting. Things to include: a greeting, words such as "please" and "thank you" when applicable, a closing, your name AND what class you are in (German 1). 

For example:

Guten Morgen,

I just filled out another request to retake for the quiz in U2L3. Could you add another attempt after you review the request. Thank you.

Tschüss,

Michael Meier

(German 1)

• Read the feedback after completing the quiz. Look over your mistakes.

• Review the course material, the vocabulary and grammar lessons.

• Try again! For Learn & Practice Quizzes you have unlimited attempts, but must score and 80 or higher. 

No, you can not. Think of tasks like the test for the lesson, where you showcase all you have learned. You only have one attempt. Only quizzes (in the practice and learn section) must be passed with an 80 or higher and extra attempts must be requested after the second attempt.

Follow this link for detailed explanations and tutorials: https://virtualsc.org/video-questions/ 

Other Ways to Record Voice:

Vocaroo - requires Flash

Web-based screencast programs e.g. Screencastify (requires add-on to Chrome)

Audacity - may require an app to make the file accessible. Free download.

Adobe Voice- Create impactful social graphics, web pages, and short videos in minutes with Adobe Spark

Animoto- Create impressive videos in minutes with Animoto’s drag-and-drop video maker. No video editing experience necessary. 

Screencast-o-matic- Screen recorder and video editor similar to Screencastify without the required add-on to Chrome 

Loom - requires sign up

Speak Pipe - audio only

Mote - chrome extension 

If you do not have a number pad, try these tips and tricks!

1. Use typeit.org

2. Download and use an international keyboard

3. Add the accents to a word doc and copy and paste from there

4. Use a google doc and add the "easy accents add-on" and copy/paste

5. If you have a Mac you can simply hold down the key on most letters and get options

• Contact your teacher when you are stuck and don’t understand. It’s their job to help you and are happy to do so! ☺ 

• Go back to the lesson and review 

• Use the example to help you get started 

• Look at the assignment checklist 

• Look over the vocabulary and grammar notes

READ CAREFULLY!  READ for understanding, don't just browse through when reading directions.  Follow checklists.

1. Make a Plan: Online environments require structure. Purchase a calendar or a planner, this will help you create a system for studying and completing assignments on time.

2. Create a VirtualSC Space: Find a place in your home that is clean and quiet where you can work on your assignments without any interruptions.

3. Be Proactive: Look at your pacing guide to see what are your next assignments. If you have some extra time during the week, work ahead. By being proactive, you will always be ahead in your work and still have time to hang out with your friends without the stress of meeting or missing deadlines.

4. Speak Up: Unlike your traditional classroom, VirtualSC teachers are not able to see when students are not understanding a topic. Communication is key in an online environment and it is important to contact your teacher immediately, if you do not understand your assignment.  Our teachers are here to help through Skype, telephone and email.

Although you can complete all of your course work online, it can be helpful to print off some materials for review.

To make a notebook:

• Create 5 sections (Label them: Intro Unit, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4)

• Print off your objectives- Use them as a checklist.

• Print off the special symbols pages for quick reference.

• Print off your vocabulary lists

• Take notes on the important cultural information presented in the "Information" activities.

• Take notes on the phrases & grammar notes 

• Use your notebook for reference as you work through your course.

• Review it and highlight the important phrases in preparing for your final Interpretive task. 

To study:

• Create flashcards using your vocabulary. Or use Quizlet to practice your vocabulary.

• Do all of the activities under the vocabulary section

• Keep your special symbols pages close for quick reference

• Have someone call out the phrases to you in both the language and English.

• Practice saying the words with the vocabulary activities.

• Write out practice conversations (send them to your teacher for review)

• Post questions in the help forums

• Ask for help!

When listening to your videos and audio in the courses, there are a few things that you can do to help improve your listening.

• Find a quiet place to work. 

• Read through the questions being asked first. 

• Highlight and or identify keywords in the questions. Listen to the video/audio all the way through.

• Listen for words that come before and after missing words. 

• Don't try to understand EVERY word. 

• Listen for the main idea. 

• Use headphones. 

• Close your eyes and focus.

• Listen for one keyword at a time. 

• Use any other context clues that are in the video. 

• FOCUS! Do not tune out. 

• Do not listen too many times at once. 

• Listen for important words like yes and no. 

• Take a break in between listening. 

• Don't get frustrated! 

• Spend time listening to the radio and/or TV in other languages. 

• If you find your mind drifting while you listen leave and come back to the assignment

• Use headphones with a microphone.

• Find a quiet place

• Practice!  Try to mimic accents you hear.

• Spend time listening in the language before attempting speaking.

• Ask for clarification or for someone to repeat something if needed.

• Talk to yourself in the language.

• Watch yourself speaking in the mirror.

When reading something in a foreign language, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Use these tips to help you.

• Pay attention to fonts & titles

•  Pay attention to graphics and pictures.

•  Start by reading the questions first, so that you know what keywords to look for.

•  Get the basic idea of the text, don't worry about every little detail.

•  Consider the context of the text.  (IE is it a news article? a story?)

•  Look for cognates!

•  Don't try to translate everything literally.

•  Use your knowledge of grammar.

•  Highlight keywords you know.

• Use what you know!

• Use the vocabulary and sentences from the lessons.

• Only look up nouns.

• Follow the checklist closely.

• Create a rough draft and send it to your teacher.

• Ask for help.

• Don't wait until the last minute.