Answer: The Connecticut Virtual Learning Center is an education initiative created by the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium. Funded by the General Assembly for two years as a pilot program, the goal of the program is to invest the state resources toward the development of a self-sustaining, tuition -per- enrollment based program at a low cost to schools. A Learning System portal with single sign-on access for teachers, students, school administrators and staff, licensed courseware and trained, highly qualified, CT certified teachers will be the fruits of this investment. If and when tuition is collected the monies will go back into the program to pay for teachers and additional Virtual Learning Center resources. The primary and preliminary focus is to offer supplemental online courses to students currently enrolled in a CT public high school. Course offerings will include credit recovery -for students that in order to stay on their four year track, need to take or retake a course on a schedule that is not available at the school building (ex: Semester 1 of Algebra in January) and to offer courses that are not offered at their school such as world languages and Advanced Placement options. Courses will be highly interactive, Learning Management System driven with full curriculum, and the rigor expected of any high quality high school curriculum. Adherence to CT and National standards of quality will be prioritized. A browser-check compatible Internet-connection from a computer is required.
- Is there a cost for courses?
Answer: The General Assembly has funded this program as a Pilot program, so there is no cost for the students or the CT public school districts at this time.
- Is credit earned by taking these courses and how many courses can students take at one time?
Answer: CT Virtual learning Center courses are semester based. Parts A and B are available to students that need a full year course. Credits earned will be compatible with those earned in your High School for each completed semester-based course. AP Exam Prep courses are not for credit.
Answer: For technical support, please contact our help desk at E-mail Support
Call Support: 860-832-3887
Fax Support: 860-666-5828 Help Desk Hours of Operation:
- Mon-Thurs: 8AM-10PM EST
- Fri: 8AM-8PM EST
- Sat: 8AM-5PM EST
- Sun: 10AM-8PM EST
Answer: Classes are offered on a rolling enrollment basis across the academic calendar. Check the website for enrollment dates and deadlines.
Answer: Similar to a face to face class, students should plan on spending 6 - 10 hours a week across 16 weeks for each semester based course. While students have the flexibility of logging into their courses any time, from any Internet-connected computer, for best results they should be prepared to do their work weekly.
It may take longer for students that are just getting acclimated to the online course environment.
Answer: A wide-range of courses is available from the CT Virtual Learning Center. For a complete list of courses,
click here.
Answer: Yes
Online Learning Orientation Tool – This tool is a complete overview of online learning and is highly recommended as a prerequisite for all students taking online courses. It may take 2-3 hours for completion. It is helpful for online learning coordinators and mentors to review this material as well.
Blackboard Users Guide – This documents will show you how to use your Blackboard course and is essential reading for all online students. You can get to different sections by clicking on the page in the Table of Contents.
Answer:: No. Credit Recovery in this program is meant to allow students that have fallen behind or are failing for some reason the opportunity to begin again during the school year, and to stay "on track" for graduation. Each semester based course contains a full 16 week curriculum, with the same rigorous expectations of their on-ground counterparts. While there is a certified online teacher to offer instruction and assistance and reinforcement to students as they learn, the curriculum is not designed to identify and reinforce specific content areas of need.
Answer: Once the Online Learning Coordinator at your school enrolls you in your course, your username and password will be sent to you via email. Please know that if you do not receive this email, and do not know how to log into your course that the Online Learning Coordinator at your school can look up your username and password for you in the Virtual Learning Center system under Manage Students.
Once you have logged in, your homepage will open providing a series of links to follow to enter your course/s. The first thing to do once you've logged into your course is to send your teacher a message through the Message tool of the course. Introduce yourself and offer additional contact information for the best way the teacher can reach you when needed.
For best results in an online course; you must begin by opening and reading the course Lessons. The Lessons will point you at the corresponding Assignments. If you begin with the Assignments without working through the lessons, you will have a very difficult time understanding the material and the work expected of you in each of the assignments. Skipping around in the course can also lead to confusion and difficulty. For best results, follow each lesson and assignment, in sequence.
Answer: Yes, a highly qualified, Connecticut certified teacher will be your instructor for the course(s). You will communicate with him or her via the course messaging system and telephone. Good communication with your teacher is needed for you to be a successful online learner.
Answer: Yes. Each high school participating in the program will have an Online Learning Coordinator. Contact your guidance office for help if you are not sure who this is.
Answer: Local schools or districts will decide the attendance policy for students enrolled in CT Virtual Learning Center courses. Check with your Online Learning Coordinator and/or guidance counselor to see if you are required to be present at your school for any part of your online coursework.
Answer: Students will be expected to keep up with their course pace weekly, however, time is available in your pace charts to accommodate for vacations. Students following their pace charts will not be required to work during vacations unless they have chosen to complete their work in less than 17 or 18 weeks. In this event, as long as students have access to an Internet-connected computer each day, they can have access to their coursework.
Answer: CT Virtual High School defaults to the discretion of your high school or school district. They have the authority to require that exams be taken in a supervised school environment.
Answer: In recognition of the variance in drop policies that exist either as formal policies or as standard operating procedures within schools/districts, CT Virtual Learning has devised the following policy. Upon being activated into a CT Virtual Learning course, students will have a 30-day grace period without a grade being issued. If a student withdraws from a course within the first 30 days, the grade report that they and their school will receive will classify the drop as "Withdrawn - No Grade". It is very important, and should be stressed to students, that this grace period be used as time for the student to demonstrate that they are indeed willing to put forth the effort to be a successful online student. Experience has taught us that students who are not making appropriate progress during the grace period are much less likely to successfully finish the course in the long term.
Students must ask their School Counselor to arrange the drop with their school's Online Learning Coordinator (OLC). The OLC must drop the student from the course in the Virtual Learning Center system in order for the student to be considered dropped by the program.
Answer: Online Learning Coordinators can look up students' user names and passwords, by logging into the Virtual Learning Center system from our website. Click on Main Menu, then click on Manage Students. Click on the grey search bar toward the bottom of your page, this will bring up a listing of all your students including their user names and passwords.
Answer:
If you forgot your username or password, you can click on "Forgot My Username/Password?" under the login area (bottom left-hand corner) of the VLC website
www.ctvirtuallearning.org. Your Online Learning Coordinator has the ability to look up your username and password.
Only YOU will be allowed to change your password, and this MUST be done by logging into the VLC website:
www.ctvirtuallearning.org, not in the Blackboard System.
To do so, log into the site using your username and password. Under Student Tools, select Edit Account Information. This is where you can change your PASSWORD.
If you change your password in the Blackboard system (where your course lives), it will revert to you old password within the next 6 hours.
Answer:
If you have a dual role of OLC and Mentor, follow the Mentor instructions.
If you are an OLC:
Log into the site (
www.ctvirtuallearning.org)
Under Course Management, click Progress Reports.
This will bring up a search screen.
Either selects the term (to see progress reports for one term) or leave the search area empty (and all progress reports will come up), then click the gray search key.
This will bring up your students, click on the Icon under Action to view their Progress Reports.
If you are a Mentor:
Log into the site (
www.ctvirtuallearning.org)
The courses you have students in will be listed on your homepage under My Course Activities. Under ACTION, click on the Icon next to View Progress Report.
This will bring up a search screen. Either selects the term (to see progress reports for one term) or leave the search area empty (and all progress reports will come up), then click the gray search key.
This will bring up your students, click on the Icon under Action to view their Progress Reports.
If you are a Student:
Log into the site (
www.ctvirtuallearning.org)
The courses that you are in will be listed on your homepage under My Course Activities.
Under ACTION, click on the Icon next to the progress report you'd like to see. If you are in more than one course, you can only view one course at a time.
This will bring up a screen listing all of your progress reports in that course.
Under ACTION, click on the Icon to download the report.
