parent-and-guardian-information
Notification for Parents/Guardians of Students Requesting a Dufferin-Peel Online Learning Course (eLearning)
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Please start by clicking the navigation to the left to learn about eLearning programs in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
鶹ý parents/guardians will need to sign the eLearning Registration Form (please open the form in a web browser to enable fillable form), prior to having their child enroll in an eLearning course. Before signing the registrations, please carefully review and discuss the following points with your child.
Students may gain a variety of benefits from online courses. They promote flexibility in the school day, allow for a student to make up coursework, and provide experience in the emerging field of online education that is becoming part of post-secondary education (colleges and universities). A major factor of student success is that students are or become completely self-directed learners.
A student will receive instruction and feedback via the online course instructor, meet classmates via an online discussion board, and complete class assignments independently by appropriate due dates. Your child must make a commitment to participate daily or as required by the online instructor. Attendance will be tracked based on regular participation in the online course. Courses typically require approximately 5 to 12 hours of work every week and will run the entire duration of the term. Students taking online courses during the summer can expect to spend the same duration of time on their courses as those taking regular summer school courses.
Students in an online course do not meet face-to-face. Student self-motivation and self-reliance are even more critical in an environment where there is no face-to-face contact. Dufferin-Peel online teachers are located at various secondary schools and may not be in the same school as your child. The online teacher provides instructional support and assistance for their online courses. The home school can provide guidance services for online students. Support for technological difficulties will be provided through a tech-help line in the learning management system called Brightspace by D2L.
Online students will have access to a computer at school during their assigned period. It is a student’s responsibility to arrange for the proper technology outside of school. Most online courses require a computer with high-speed internet, speakers, word processing capabilities, and video streaming capabilities. Most standard software applications used in these online courses are standard to the common user.
There is an asynchronous orientation unit just prior to the start of a student’s online course. Students will access an Orientation unit in the virtual learning environment called Brightspace by D2L in which they will participate in activities which will assist them in learning to navigate the platform and understand how the D2L tools work.
In summary, these are the considerations for Parents/Guardians of online students:
- Take the opportunity to review the course outline, course expectations and timelines
- Help establish a good work/study area at home
- Help set up a regular work/study schedule
For further questions about eLearning, please refer to the eLearning FAQ.
Important Update:
Beginning with the cohort of students who entered Grade 9 in the 2020-21 school year, all students must earn a minimum of two online learning credits as part of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma unless they have been opted out or exempted in accordance with the processes described in the memorandum (PPM167).
Parents/Guardians can opt their child out of mandatory online learning credits requirements. Contact the student's home school for further information.
Please note: that you must “opt-out”, otherwise students who entered Grade 9 in the 2020-21 school year, must earn a minimum of two online learning credits as part of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
Please note: Parents/guardians whose child home school in not in Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board but are taking an eLearning course through 鶹ý, will need to connect with their child's home school and follow their processes for enrollment in an eLearning course.