What
type of student should take a Virtual Schooling Credit? Students who:
a) are unable to take a course in their day school
b) require alternatives to a traditional brick-and-mortar environment
c) are on home instruction due to medical and/or social/psychological
problems
d) need to learn ‘whenever and wherever’, and according
to their own ‘timetable’…
e) are not registered in a day school (including adults)
May
any person register for an online credit? Virtual
Schooling is available for all Ontario residents who are Canadian
Citizens.
Day school students must have the permission of the Day School
Principal/ Designate. Students who can take a course in day school
will not normally qualify to take it as a Virtual Schooling credit.
Will
students be required to pay a fee? A non-refundable transaction fee of $50.00 per course is
due with the online application. Payment may be made online using
a credit card (MasterCard/ Visa) or by submitting a cheque to
the Virtual Schooling Centre. If the course does not run, students
will be refunded the full fee of $50.00.
Visa students, non-residents of Ontario, and others who do not
qualify to take courses in Ontario will be required to pay the
full tuition fee. Note: NSF cheques will be charged a service fee
of $15.00. [^ top]
Will
students write final exams? All students must write face-to-face final exams for each
course. In addition, all courses will have mid-semester exams
which will be written face-to-face. The exams will be held at
a school site on a date set in advance and will be supervised
by Virtual Schooling teachers.
Is
a Virtual Schooling course as rigorous as a regular school course? Expectations and assessment and evaluation practices are
the same as traditional courses. Research has shown that it is
more difficult to achieve an online credit because of the independence
required for an online course. Studies have also shown that students
tend to spend more time working on courses delivered online when
compared to the same course delivered in the traditional classroom
setting.
How
often will students and teachers communicate in a virtual schooling
course? Constant communication between teacher and student is essential
for success in a virtual schooling course. In addition to ongoing
e-mail communication, teachers will make themselves available
to students for help during specific times each week as “office
hours”. Students will also receive regular telephone calls
or messages from the teacher in order to help the student be successful
with the program. [^ top]
Will
registration be continuous? The Virtual Schooling program is a semester program which
will have a registration deadline. In exceptional cases students
may be accepted into Virtual Schooling after the registration
deadline. Most students take a minimum of four months to complete
an online credit course. Students who register late will need
to complete the course in less time. No modifications to the date
of the final exam will be made for late registrants.
The online learning environment does not afford for courses to be modified or for the provision of additional staff or equipment supports. Modifications and accommodations for identified, exceptional, (IPRC'd) students is the responsibility of the home school in which the student is registered.Virtual Schooling will allow extra time on exams as long as appropriate documentation for the accommodation is provided. [^ top]
