Student Handbook

Course Access

You will be provided with information about accessing your online learning course at the start of the semester. The AMDSB course website (called “The Core”) is where you access your course material (lessons, assignments, and readings), find announcements from your teacher, complete quizzes, submit course assignments, and participate in virtual discussions. If you are from a different school board, you will log in to your board’s eLearning website, and connect to your online learning course home page through a space called “My Courses in Other Orgs”.

AMDEC has created a series of videos and documents to help you navigate your eLearning course and use the tools available in your course. These can be found by going to the Resources link at the top of this page and clicking on 'Orientation Links and Documents'.

You will also find announcements on the AMDEC School page of The Core. These postings will include information such as attendance/holiday/PA Day reminders since each board may have different dates. For the AMDSB schedule see the following link:

https://www.amdsb.ca/apps/pages/schoolcalendar

The following is required for all courses:

Adobe Reader
A way to complete work electronically, such as Google Docs, OpenOffice/LibreOffice, and Microsoft Office
The ability to record and submit voice and video files, and to participate in virtual conferences
Reliable internet access and suitable technology for accessing the course ● Check the course description under the "Courses" tab on the AMDEC website to determine the required and recommended supplies for each course
Students taking mathematics courses must have access to a scanner (easily available through apps on most tablets/phones) so their assignments can be scanned to PDF and submitted to the assignment folders for their course

You can work on course material at any time of day, and from anywhere in Ontario, provided you have a computer and Internet access. Be aware if you use a VPN or location services that make you appear out of the province, you may have issues accessing your course. If you are out of the country (such as on a student exchange), your guidance counsellor must connect with our tech support team at [email protected] to make arrangements for you to have continued access to the course.

Attendance

Attendance in all online learning courses is recorded every Friday based on your activity throughout the week. You should log in and work on your online learning course(s) daily in your online learning period(s), but to be recorded as 'present' in your online class, you must actively participate in your course each week. To do this, you must log into your course and do at least one of the following every week:

Submit work to a folder in the Assignments area or the Portfolio tool, ● Participate in an online discussion,
Complete an online quiz or test, checklist, or survey,
Conference with your teacher.

If you have extenuating circumstances that result in an inability to meet the above criteria you should contact your course teacher and AMDEC Guidance [email protected] to discuss your situation and to determine what accommodations may be possible.

Teachers & Class Information

Online learning courses are taught by certified teachers, employed by the Avon Maitland District School Board. Coursework is provided online in The Core for completion asynchronously, however, students will also be expected to attend synchronous virtual conferences with their teacher throughout the course to assess their learning, answer questions, problem-solve difficulties, and discuss the next steps in their learning. If students have questions or difficulty, they must contact their teacher for support. They also have access to an online learning student success teacher for assistance in organising their time and using the course tools. Teachers will normally answer emailed questions within one school day (not including weekends or holidays) and feedback will be provided on assignments promptly.

Note that asynchronous refers to the time within the day when a student may be working on their course, not the time within the semester. Students must keep up with weekly deadlines.

Online learning students should plan to spend at least as much time working on their eLearning course as they would expect to spend in a face-to-face course. Each course requires approximately 110 hours of classroom time with additional homework time.

Due Dates & Late Assignments

Your teacher will provide information regarding assignments and due dates through class announcements, posted documents/trackers, and/or emails. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are meeting your deadlines each week. If you are having difficulty meeting a due date, please contact your teacher before the due date to discuss your situation. If you miss an assignment/discussion/test deadline without discussing your situation with your teacher

beforehand, you can expect your teacher to contact you, your parents/guardian (for students under the age of 18), and/or your school to create a plan for you to get back on track in your course.

The consequences for students who submit an assignment late, or do not complete assignments for evaluation, can include:

limited or no feedback being provided, or being checked for completion only;
receiving an I (insufficient evidence to evaluate/score);
learning skills reduction (e.g. from Good to Satisfactory);
and/or a mark deduction of up to 10% on the assignment.

Your final assessment information (including due dates) will be determined by your online learning teacher and posted in your course and/or communicated to you through class emails.

Submitting Work

Much of your work will be submitted to your teacher through the folders in the Assignments area of your course, although you may also be required to complete Discussion posts, Portfolio uploads, and Quizzes (and more). You can access the Assignments folders by clicking on the links within your course content (if available) or by clicking on the Share My Learning icon in the Navigation Bar at the top of your screen and selecting 'Assignments'. Your teacher will provide feedback on your work right in the Assignments folder. You must check the Assignments area regularly to review your teacher's feedback. If you have questions about your teacher's feedback, please contact your teacher.

As a student taking an eLearning course, device failure is something you must be prepared to deal with. It is recommended that you use the Google Drive or O365 account provided to you (if you’re an AMDSB student) to complete your assignments whenever possible. These documents are automatically saved and because it is cloud-based, your work is accessible from any computer device with internet access. It is your responsibility to save copies of all assignments submitted to your teacher. Technical issues or device failure will not be considered an acceptable reason for falling behind with your work. If your device malfunctions or if you experience technical issues, the expectation is that you find an alternate device on which to continue your work. Students should check for access to additional computers, tablets, or other devices at their enrolling school, at a friend or relative's house, and/or at a local public library.

Assessment and Evaluation

Students are assessed on their work by their teacher to help them know what is required to improve. Teachers plan assessments in accordance with the Avon Maitland District School Board and Ministry of Education Assessment and Evaluation policies. Students have significant responsibilities for assessment and evaluation and are expected to:

communicate with teachers in advance when legitimate difficulties interfere with meeting deadlines;
complete and submit assignments according to their posted deadlines;
understand the role of the categories of the Achievement Chart to help them identify areas of strength and weakness;
develop time management skills and set goals for academic success;
view assessments as a way to help achieve better results when their work is evaluated;
request teacher assistance when needed;
think about and use teacher feedback to improve grades;
understand that teachers are responsible for teaching a specific curriculum and have administrative deadlines for assessment and evaluation.

Information adapted from “The Learning Consortium: Building Quality Learning Environments”

Report Cards and Full Disclosure

All online learning report cards are Ontario Provincial Report Cards. Students will receive a Midterm report midway through the semester distributed by the home school. Final reports are provided after the completion of the course.

At the end of semester 1, final report cards are distributed by the home school
At the end of semester 2, final report cards will be mailed to your home address through Canada Post and a copy of the report will be sent to your enrolling

Please ensure your home school has your correct mailing address.

If a student withdraws from a grade 11 or 12 course within five instructional days following the issue of the midterm report card, the withdrawal is not recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST). If the student withdraws from a course after the time allowed, the withdrawal is recorded on the OST by entering a “W” in the “Credit” column. The student’s percentage grade at the time of the withdrawal is recorded in the “Percentage Grade” column.

Your guidance counsellor can locate full disclosure dates in PRISM.

Academic Honesty

The Avon Maitland District School Board values the highest standards of academic conduct. Research for essays, assignments, and projects is an important part of the academic process. We want our students to learn proper procedures for citing the work of others and succeed by being honest about the work that they submit. A variety of research methods that are appropriate to the subject, grade, and course type are taught to help students avoid plagiarism (the uncredited work of someone else from sources such as the Internet, books, magazines, and other sources), a kind of fraud. Students are strongly encouraged to work with their teacher to

ensure that the work submitted is honest and reflects the student’s best work and that they are providing evidence of their learning within established timelines.

The following are a few examples of academic dishonesty:

paying someone else to write a paper and submitting it as their own work
plagiarizing published material, class assignments, or lab reports
using ChatGPT or other AI to complete your work
obtaining an unauthorized copy of a test in advance of its scheduled administration
collaborating with other students on assignments when it is not allowed
giving an assignment, test, or test answers to current or potential students

The Avon Maitland District School Board’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting Principles and Procedures aligns with the Ministry of Education’s Growing Success 2010 Assessment and Evaluation document and outlines the following consequences.

When it is clear that a student has not been academically honest, teachers and school administration must view the results as a serious matter, with progressively severe consequences, including parental/guardian involvement. In a very small number of severe cases, an academic disciplinary hearing will be convened. These steps are in place to ensure that you have been involved in a fair process due to the serious nature of these types of allegations.

Consequences for academic dishonesty are not limited to, but may include one or a number of the following:

discussion with the teacher and/or principal about the importance of academic honesty;
reduction in the student’s development of learning skills and work habits (e.g., from Good to Satisfactory);
resubmission of the assignment;
completion of an alternative assignment;
retaking the test;
receiving a mark penalty on the assignment;
loss of credit (requires consultation with Regional Superintendent).

If you have questions about, or would like to appeal an allegation of academic dishonesty, follow these steps:

Contact your online learning teacher to discuss your situation and work together to find an acceptable resolution. The majority of concerns will be resolved through open and honest dialogue between you and your online learning teacher.
If you are not able to come to an acceptable resolution with your teacher, contact the online learning administration team to discuss the situation.

Include your parents/guardian and/or your school contact in any of the steps above so that we can work together to find an acceptable resolution to your concerns.

Students with Exceptionalities

The provision of accommodations for a student with an existing Individual Education Plan (IEP)
is limited, and restricted by the nature of the program. For those students whose local/home

school provides accommodations based upon those assessed needs described in the IEP (e.g.,
extra time, quiet assessment setting, access to technology), it is the responsibility of the home
school in which the student is registered to consult with the principal or vice principal of online
learning and to provide these accommodations as deemed appropriate.

Registering for Online Learning Courses

The registration process will be completed by the student’s guidance counsellor at their home school into the PRISM registration system. All changes to your online learning timetable must be made through the school where you are registered. Your guidance counsellor will submit a request through PRISM to add you to a course or remove you from a course. You, your guardian/parent, and your guidance counsellor will receive an auto-generated email from PRISM with any changes to your registration status (waitlisted/accepted/removed). Registration in online learning courses closes approximately two weeks after the beginning of each semester.

Students register to take online learning courses only with the permission of the Ontario secondary school where they are enrolled. Students not currently enrolled in a secondary school, who wish to take online learning courses, must first enroll at their local Ontario secondary school. Questions regarding the registration process can be sent by email to [email protected].

Disclosure of Personal Information Guidelines

Review the following information from the AMBSB: Notification of Disclosure of Personal Information and note that email and chats (public and private) may be read by your teacher, the online learning guidance counsellor, the online learning administration, other Avon Maitland District School Board administrators, and/or the online learning technicians. They may also be shared with your home school contacts, and parents/guardians (for students under the age of 18).

Information acquired through phone conversations, in person, or contained in emails sent to AMDEC, will be stored, either electronically or on paper, in the online learning administrative system, or the student’s file. This information may be retained as long as the student attends an online learning course and for the following five years. This information will remain confidential within the office.

Staff may be required, by law, to report to the proper authorities when a dangerous or illegal situation involving a student is suspected.

In addition, Bill 157 was enacted into law on June 1, 2009, as the "Education Amendment Act (Keeping Our Kids Safe at School), 2009", and came into force on February 1, 2010.

Under the legislation:

All school staff are required to report serious student incidents, such as bullying, and incidents motivated by hate or racism to the principal.
Principals are required to contact the parents/guardians of victims and students who are impacted by these incidents.
School staff who work directly with students are required to respond to incidents that could cause harm, impact school climate and the well-being of other students.
Progressive discipline will always be considered in these situations.

Technical Support

Online learning has a Tech Support department that is available to help students resolve technical difficulties. When contacting Tech Support, please be as specific as possible when describing your problem and include emailed screenshots when possible.

If you are having difficulty logging in, please do the following:

If you are an AMDSB student: Contact the TRA at your school for assistance. Your guidance counsellor will be able to help you to find your TRA if you are not sure who they are.
If you are from outside of the AMDSB: Contact Online learning Tech Support by email at [email protected] or by phone at 519-482-5428 ext. 600400.

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