FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I need a text book?
You will not require a text book for your online course. All of your resources will be available online, or, as in the case of BTA3O, will be supplied to you on CD.
Who teaches online courses?
Certified teachers who are employed by the OCDSB deliver our online courses. Currently these teachers are assigned to both online and regular day school classes.
Are online courses harder or easier than regular classroom courses?

This very much depends on you and the course you are taking. The curriculum expectations for online courses are identical to the curriculum expectations for courses delivered in a regular classroom setting.

Studies have shown that both students and teachers tend to spend more time working on courses delivered online when compared to the same course delivered in the traditional classroom setting. If you are not, at this time, comfortable with computers, some of your time will be spent figuring out how to carry out different applications on your computer.

As a general rule, however, plan on devoting at least as many hours to online courses as you would to regular classroom courses.

How often are students required to log in?

You should plan to log in every (school) day. You will need to spend about the same amount of time it would take to attend an in-school course plus the time it would take to complete homework and assignments out of school.

Your teacher is taking attendance. Students who log in every day and complete their work on time are far more likely to be successful in an online course than students who log in less frequently for longer periods of time.

What if I don't understand a question or don't know what to do next?


Teachers submit student attendance weekly. Students "attend" an online class by participating in discussions and posting/submitting their work. If you are not meeting these "attendance" expectations, your teacher will contact you directly to find out what assistance you might need to get back on track. Desire2Learn also tracks when you log in and what pages you open. This information is available to both you and your teacher on the User Progress page.

Glossary

blended course
A course which combines eLearning with face-to-face classroom instruction.
esire2Learn
The Learning Management Systems (LMS) currently in use in the OCDSB. This is the software that students will use to access online courses.
eLearning
The use of a rich set of online learning opportunities to enhance and enrich achievement for learners of all abilities, and is delivered in a variety of educational environments. Examples of eLearning may include viewing software on cd, dvd, the use of video conferencing, using a discussion board, the use of blended courses, fully online credit courses, etc.
online course
Within the OCDSB, online courses refers to fully online credit courses developed by either the Ministry of Education or a school board and offered through the OCDSB - Curriculum Services via our Learning Management System (LMS) under the supervision of the Principal of Curriculum Services.
online learning
Using the Internet to learn. Examples of online learning include fully online credit courses, blended courses, and learning objects.
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