Buus, Vanessa
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- Aspire Deer Valley's Online Academy
- Getting Started Successfully
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Welcome to Honors Earth Science for the Summer session!
Virtual Class Meetings will be held on Thursdays at 10am.
The meeting link is available on the "Class Meetings" page in the Canvas course.
Additional appointments can be made through Canvas message.
Course Prework
The first order of business in your online course is to complete the course prework in the Course Introduction Module. There are a few required items that all students must complete:
1. Canvas Orientation
The Canvas Orientation is a Deer Valley Online Learning Program requirement. This stand-alone course teaches the basics of Canvas navigation and discusses important program requirements. Students will take a quiz after they complete the course. A screenshot of their score is a required submission in their Science course.
2. The Course Information and Textbook Module
This module is inside your Science class. Each page must be read and all required assignments must be successfully submitted.
Your course work will not open until the prework is submitted and scored. It is strongly encouraged for students to complete the prework on the first day of class so they can start the remainder of their assignments.
Parents and Guardians can become an observer in their student's course. Please click this link for directions. You will need your student's user name and password to complete the setup. Your student will also need to create a pairing code for you.
How is an online course different from an in-person course?
There are a few ways that online courses are different from the traditional in-person class.
- To start, you won’t see your instructor every day. This limits my ability to judge how you are doing and if you understand the content. For the student, this means you MUST communicate with me. If you are struggling with content, assignment directions or navigating Canvas, you must let me know right away. I can only help you if I know that you need help. For parents and guardians, this means that you need to be closely involved in your student’s progress. Ask to see your student’s work, check in with your observer status and see how your student is doing and communicate with me when necessary.
- Online courses require more organization on the part of the student. Students need to schedule time to complete their coursework. Don’t fall into the trap of waiting until the last minute to do your work and submit it. All assignments have a suggested due date to help you keep up with the rigor and speed of the course. Use the calendar provided on the course home page to schedule your time – then stick to your schedule!
- Online students have to learn independently. I will always answer your questions, but the bulk of the learning will happen with the materials provided in text and video.
- Online students must be able to depend on and use their technology. This is an Aspire requirement. While I will help however I can, for the most part I can’t teach you how to use your electronic device. You need to be comfortable with what you have and understand how to download, access, work in, save and upload documents with that device.
- You need to have a back-up plan. What will you do if your device stops working? Is there another device at home that you can use? Can you get to the library to use the public computers?