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School Updates 2011-2012
(CLICK TO DOWNLOAD 2011-2012 FALL UPDATE NEWSLETTER)

Introduction: What's New in 2011/2012

The biggest change for CBe-learn came over the summer as we moved into our new location. CBe-learn is now housed in the New Ernest Manning High School (20 Springborough Blvd SW). As of June 2011, all of our daily operations take place in our new location.

As CBe-learn continues to offer service to students across the Calgary Board of Education in our new location, we’ve made some significant programming changes for our online High School students. CBe-learn is moving towards Open and Continuous Entry for all of our courses. For students, this means access to Anytime, Anywhere courses is just the beginning of their academic success.

Over the past two years, CBe-learn has been offering Open Entry to students who weren’t able to register into “Traditional” courses that start in September or February. The demand for this type of flexibility has made it necessary for us to expand our options to ensure all students are able to access their online education – Anytime, Anywhere.

 

CBe-learn: Terms

In 2011-2012, CBe-learn will be offering five different Terms for students to enrol in their Core Academic courses.

Name of Term	Course Starts	Course End Date
Term 1	Starts September-October	December 21, 2011
Term 2	Starts October-December	March 21, 2012
Term 3	Starts January-March	June 6, 2012
Term 4	Starts March-April	July 18, 2012
Term 5	Starts May-July	October 24, 2012
CTS: Start Anytime	Starts September	June 13, 2012

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/registration-calendar.asp

 

Registration

Guidance counsellors will continue to use the OCSR to register concurrent students into their appropriate courses. When the registration period for Term 1 is over, counsellors will have access to courses in Term 2.

Registration for CTS courses will be on-going from August 22, 2011 through May 10, 2012.

Name of Term	Registration Dates	Course End Date
Term 1	August 22 – September 22	December 21, 2011
Term 2	September 23 – December 1	March 21, 2012
Term 3	December 2 – March 1	June 6, 2012
Term 4	March 2 – May 10	July 18, 2012
Term 5	May 11 - June 28	October 24, 2012
CTS: Start Anytime	August 22 – May 10	June 13, 2012

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/registration.asp

 

Course End Date

There needs to be a new shift in thinking, as courses are focused on the end date. Students will be “Starting with the End in Mind” and plan out their program with a focus on when they want to finish their online course.

Some thought and discussion needs to be given to how much time the student has to work on the course – on a daily or weekly basis. If a student is overloaded in a particular semester, adding an additional online course may push them over the edge – and they won’t be successful in any of their academic work. However, knowing that they might have a little more time in Term 2, or Term 4 would permit the students to make a better choice regarding the term in which they start the course.

When planning out a student’s program, the two critical questions are: a) How much time does the student have to work on the course (i.e. what other commitments and courses does the student have this semester); and b) When does the student want to finish the course? By Starting with the End in Mind, students will be able to make better choices in their academic process, and will find more success at CBe-learn.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/registration-calendar.asp

 

Course Start Date

Although students may register any day of the week, they will always get access to their courses on Thursdays. This will ensure that students never need to wait more than a week to get access to their e-learn course, their Core Academic course, or their CTS course.

 

Course Syllabus – New in 2011-2012

Each course will now have a syllabus that includes specific information about the course requirements and expectations for students. Each course syllabus will be available within the course, but will also be posted to www.cbelearn.ca, so all students and counsellors can make informed decisions when planning their academic programs.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses.asp

 

e-learn

e-learn (COM1255: e-learning and Learning Management Systems) was introduced in Fall 2010 as a mandatory pre-requisite for all students at CBe-learn. This course allows students to learn what it will mean to be an online student; including learning  about the technology involved, as well as specific learning strategies they will need to use to be successful online.

Students only need to complete the e-learn course once. If the student has completed the course in the 2010-2011 school year, they do NOT need to complete it again.

Students who have never taken e-learn before will need to finish the one-credit course before they are given access to any other course. In the new model at CBe-learn, students will be able to complete e-learn in any one-week period, and then receive access to their Core Academic or CTS course on the following Thursday.

e-learn is an excellent orientation to CBe-learn practices and policies, as well as a good introduction to what it means to be an online learner. One of the best ways to understand the program is to be immersed within it. If any classroom teacher, e-learn teacher, teachers’ aide, Guidance Counsellor or  any other student support professional wants to access e-learn as a student, please contact Monti Tanner for an orientation to the program.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-elearn.asp

 

Online Physical Education

P.E. courses at CBe-learn have undergone a radical change over the past year. The transparent rigour and focus on student accountability has demanded that these courses continue to be offered only twice a year, in a more traditional model. There will be two intakes for Online PE; Term 1 (September-January), and Term 3 (February-June). Students will still be able to register in these courses for approximately three weeks, so counsellors have the opportunity to register students well past the previous deadlines.

 In addition to more rigorous online accountabilities, any student taking a PE course at CBe-learn needs to attend an in-person fitness testing at the beginning and the end of the semester. If the student is under 18 years, there is also a mandatory parent orientation at the beginning of the course. It’s important for parents to fully understand the commitments they are making when enrolling students into an online PE program. If a student misses the pre-fitness assessment, or the parents miss the PE Parent Orientation, the student will NOT be registered in the PE course, and will need to wait until the next intake.

CBe-learn has procured a partnership with the Calgary YMCA, where students are able to purchase short-term memberships at a reduced rate. Although not a mandatory component of the Online PE Program, a membership at the YMCA ensures that students have access to all of the equipment, facilities and support they need to be successful in an online PE course.

All students (even those who are active athletes) will need to complete specific activities from all five different categories to earn full marks in their online course.  Full details of the requirements for Online Physical Education are available on our website, as students must have a clear understanding of the rigour and commitment required of them throughout the entire semester.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-pe.asp
http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-pe-overview.asp

 

Online Art

Like Physical Education, Sr. High Art courses will also run twice a year; Term 1 (September-January) and Term 3 (February-June). An online Art program requires a high degree of focus, dedication and time commitment from students, and it is not possible to complete some of the process-based pieces in a reduced timeframe.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-art.asp

 

Online CALM

CALM is a very popular course for students to take online. As in any other course at CBe-learn, students will be able to register in CALM at any time, and start the course within a week of finishing e-learn. If the student chooses to complete the Portfolio component of CALM, they will receive one additional credit in CTR2310.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-calm.asp

 

CTS Courses

One of the most exciting changes our students will experience this year is the addition of a number of Career and Technology Studies. Grouped into Pathways, these CTS courses will offer students the opportunity to explore their passions in introductory, intermediate and advanced courses.

Full information on each of the new CTS Pathways is available on our website, with a description of the general pathway, and specific information about each CTS course within the Pathway. It is important that students understand the commitments to the specific Pathway, as some courses include external commitments, such as a volunteerism or a workplace internship. Once enrolled into a specific Pathway, students will work closely with their CBe-learn teacher to ensure they are taking the appropriate CTS courses. Some students may choose to complete the entire Pathway, and others might only take one or two of the one-credit courses.

CTS Pathways offered in 2011-2012 at CBe-learn include:

• Work Experience
• Media and Communication
• Environmental Stewardship
• Early Learning and Child Care
• Health Pathways – Medical Studies
• Health Pathways – Human Services
• Foods and Nutrition
• Recreation Leadership
• Business and Finance
• Fashion Studies

Due to student interest, we have also initiated a CTS Credit Recovery pathway that includes five grade 12 Credits with no pre-requisite. It is designed for students who need a maximum of five grade 12 credits to graduate from High School. Students can register in this Credit Recovery Pathway to obtain 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 credits at the Grade 12 level.

Registration for Individual Career and Technology Studies courses will be similar to years past; students can enrol in any CTS course at any point during the year. Once they have completed the mandatory e-learn course, they will be given access to the CTS course, and can begin it immediately. The CTS courses will all run from September 1 through June 4 in alignment with a traditional High School calendar.

In 2011/2012, we’ve identified a final end-date for students to enrol in CTS courses; May 10. This coincides with the last day of registration for Term 4, and will still offer students the chance to complete a minimum of one CTS credit before the end of the school year.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses-cts.asp

 

New Course Offerings

Spanish 10: In addition to new CTS Course offerings, starting in Fall 2011, CBe-learn will be offering Spanish 10 starting in September 2011.

Math 20: Because of the changes to the Math curriculum, in 2011-2012, CBe-learn will no longer be offering Math 20 Applied, Math 20 Pure, or Math 24. Starting in September 2011, Math 20-1 and Math 20-2 will be offered.

Tourism: Because of the recent change to the CTS curriculum, Tourism will not be offered as a CTS course this semester.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/courses.asp

 

Exam Period

To add clarity around the commitment students need to make to their courses, we have also included a specific Exam Period at the end of each Term. These dates include any final exams, and the Grade 12 Diploma Exams. The exam period takes place after the instructional days have been completed, and will permit students the chance to complete all of their online work before scheduling their final exams.

Many online courses at CBe-learn will continue to offer Midterm and Unit exams, which will take place within the school term – during the instructional days.

Students in Diploma-level courses will be able to choose their specific term based on the date they wish to write their Diploma Exam. For example, if the student needs to have their Diploma Exam written before the end of the traditional school year (June Diploma), then they need to register in Term 3: Winter. This will ensure they have completed their coursework and their Diploma Exam by the end of June.

 

Name of Term	Course End Date	Exam Period	Diploma Exam
Term 1	December 21, 2011	January 9 – 27	January
Term 2	March 21, 2012	March 15 – April 14	April
Term 3	June 6, 2012	June 7 – 27	June
Term 4	July 18, 2012	July 16 – August 10	August
Term 5	October 24, 2012	November 1 - 9	November

 

Test Centre

It’s important for students to know that although the majority of their daily work and interactions take place in an online environment, most academic courses will require students to come into the Testing Centre throughout the semester. As of June 1, 2011, all students are required to have government-issued Photo ID when they come into the Testing Centre for an exam.

The CBe-learn Testing Centre will be offering new hours in our new location. In order to better meet student needs, the Testing Centre will be open Tuesday through Saturday, with an adjustment in hours, as noted below:

These hours are subject to change. Please review our website for the most up-to-date hours.

The Testing Centre will be closed on specific Saturdays, some of which include long weekends, and other slower periods during the year.  However, the Testing Centre will be open on many of the system-wide non-instructional days, in order to permit students the opportunity to write their exams on a day off from their home school.

These date and time changes will be updated on our website, as well as in the Testing Centre D2L shell to which all CBe-learn students have access. Our goal is to make the Testing Centre as accessible and convenient for students as possible, and to that end we have increased the number of days and hours that it will be available to all CBe-learn students.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/testcentre.asp

 

Registration Activation

                Students are asked to complete the Registration Activation located on the homepage of the CBe-learn website. This short activation process ensures that students are familiar with CBe-learn policies and practices, including the Inactive Policy and the Academic Honesty Policy.

http://www.cbelearn.ca/seniorhigh/registration-activation1.asp