Welcome to the Student Orientation
The student orientation introduces prospective students to distance education opportunities offered through the DoDEA Virtual High School. The goal of the orientation is to increase students' readiness and self-confidence while enrolled in a distance learning course.
If you are new or a returning student, the student orientation will provide you with useful information, resources, and tutorials that will help you succeed in a course. By completing the orientation prior to taking an online course, you will be better prepared and ready to concentrate on the course content.
Success in online courses depends largely on the effort you are willing to extend. Before you begin the orientation module you should preview the information below to assess your readiness for online learning.
"Distance Learning" refers to a course delivery method in which students do not have to be physically present in the same location as the instructor, or other students. Online courses are offered via the Internet through Blackboard learning management system. All online courses are instructor-led and use the same schedule and learning methods as an on-campus class.
Distance learning gives students the opportunity to take courses that are not offered at their local schools. Priority for enrollment is given to small schools and to seniors, who need the courses for graduation. Through online learning, students can connect with their peers across the globe and can enroll in courses that might not be available at their high school.
The DoDEA Virtual High School offers distance learning courses and activities to military dependent students around the world. The classes are customized and standards-based, specifically designed to meet DoDEA graduation requirements of 26 credits for a standard or Honors diploma. The Virtual High School courses are consistent with these curriculum standards, delivery of instruction and performance expectations for DoDEA high school courses.
The online courses are comprehensive and meet the same academic standards as traditional, face-to-face courses. They require as much study time and effort as face-to-face instruction.
Online learning requires motivation, commitment, and perseverance. The flexibility to study online has definite benefits, but it also means you must be dedicated, organized, and focused. As an online learner you should ask yourself:
- Am I able to work independently?
- Am I able to budget and manage my time?
- Do I have the initiative to contact the instructor as needed?
- Am I able to grasp new concepts by reading materials and communicating online?
- Am I proficient in computer and technology skills?
Online learning requires a specific set of responsibilities. Online students need to be self-motivated, be able to work independently and have good time management skills. To be successful, you should:
- Be willing to spend 6-10 hours per week on your course;
- Feel comfortable learning from written materials, like your textbook and Web pages, and be willing to contribute to online discussions;
- Communicate regularly with the facilitator and instructor; and
- Take control of your learning experience.
There are several skills or prerequisites that are very helpful for you to have before taking an online class. Prerequisites and skills include the following:
- Keyboarding skills;
- Computer literacy and experience with creating files, saving files, uploading files;
- Ability to send and receive e-mail with attachments using web-based or client-based e-mail; and
- Familiar with text-editing software.
Blackboard is a web-based, course management software program that is used to deliver course content for distance learning, hybrid and web-enhanced courses. Your Blackboard course will contain all of your course materials as well as:
- Course announcements and calendars
- Threaded discussions
- Online quizzes and tests
- Course assignments and documents
- Blogs/Journals
- Wikis
Contact your local facilitator to receive your login information.
The DoDEA Blackboard LMS is located at https://.dodea.blackboard.com. A link to the site is located under the links tab.
Click on the Blackboard Introduction tutorial below to learn how to login and change your password.
You will need a computer and access to the network. Click on the following link to learn more about the technical requirements for the online courses.
The student orientation is the first step in becoming familiar with learning online. You will need a username and password to login to Blackboard. Contact your facilitator or teacher to obtain this information, and then click the link, DoDEA Blackboard LMS. Once you sign into Blackboard, look under your course list, and then click the DVHS Student Orientation course link.