Welcome to

School District 79 DEP

(Distance Education Program)

Distance Education is a method of instruction that relies primarily on indirect communication between students and teachers, including internet or other electronic-based delivery, teleconferencing or correspondence.

DEP provides another choice for learning within the current system. DEP takes place outside of the regular classrooms typically when a student is at a distance from the teacher and the regular school programs. Students may opt for distributed learning due to scheduling conflicts for required courses or sometimes because of learning preferences. Students in DEP programs have increased flexibility in determining their academic schedule as school calendars are not bound by time and space.

Students can do coursework at any time of day. A computer with a high-speed internet connection is needed.

Before deciding whether online learning will meet your educational needs and fit your personal circumstances, students and parents need to be aware of:

·Who is likely to succeed with distance learning

·Whether you have some of the characteristics to be a successful online student

·The expectations of the parent or guardian as facilitator in their child’s education

This type of learning environment isn’t for all students. Characteristics of Successful Students are:

·Goal oriented

·Self motivated

·Independent learners

·Well organized

·Time managers who know how to organize their time and tasks

·Proficient readers

·Effective written communication skills (much of the communication with a teacher will be via email.

·Learners who have the support of a responsible adult to work with them and supervise their progress

Program highlights include:
Online courses are free of charge for all Grade 10, 11, and 12 students (part-time and full time), including adults, residing in British Columbia;

Students in Grade 10, 11 or 12 may be cross-enrolled (attending another Secondary school in British Columbia at the same time they take an online course).

Continuous Progress/Entry - Flexibility

Students may start their courses at any time. Students in Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses have 12 months to complete their studies, however they must stay active in their courses each week.

Assignments

In order to be able to employ effective marking and online teaching practices, it is essential that students submit individual assignments in a prescribed order as defined by the subject teacher. This allows a subject teacher to correct any misconceptions or misinterpretations of the material in the unit of study. This also allows the teacher to monitor the conceptual growth as the student works through the unit. Marked assignments, including teacher comments, will give the student direction a guide for the subsequent assignments and tests n the unit. Students should therefore send their assignments as they are completed rather than “stockpiling” a large number of them and submitting a large amount of work.

You only have to lose an assignment once to realize the importance of back up copies. Aside from your original copy stored on your hard drive, you are encouraged to keep a back up copy on a floppy disc. Keeping a printed copy as well is a practice that many students find useful.

Assignment Submission/Viewing and Marking Practices

The vast majority of assignments are to be completed using MSWord. Assignments are marked and returned as quickly as possible. The turn-around time may vary depending upon teacher workload. Teachers will regularly communicate.

Exams

Exams can be written at the school. Appointments are required. In several instances and courses, quizzes can be written at home

Parent/Student/Staff Interaction

Staff are available to meet the needs of parents and learners through a wide variety of contact formats – including student drop in times, regular e-mail interaction, testing services, and phone calls to home

Available Courses