Bluewater District School Board

Bluewater's Mandatory eLearning Credits page

Mandatory eLearning Credits

Mandatory eLearning Credits    Student laptop Pictures, Student laptop Stock Photos & Images |  Depositphotos®

Online learning, or digital literacy, is a key competency for 21st-century learners. In response to the need for this global skill, the Ministry of Education has added a new online learning graduation requirement.

Starting with Grade 9 students who entered secondary school in the fall of 2020, all students will be required to earn two online learning credits to obtain their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

Eligible credits will include:
• all online credits earned at an Ontario secondary school; and
• one credit earned during the 2020-2021 school closures. In recognition of extraordinary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to one secondary school credit completed by Grade 9 students (current Grade 10 students) during the province-wide school closure from April 2021 – June 2021 may count towards the new graduation requirement.

Ineligible credits that do not count towards the online learning graduation requirement include:
• in-person learning;
• blended learning (a combination of online and in-person learning);
• flipped classrooms (content is introduced online but practiced in person); and
• remote learning (a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning). Exception, one remote learning credit earned in 2020-2021.

Parents will be offered the opportunity to opt-out of the mandatory online learning credits, if they deem that this way of learning is not appropriate or beneficial for their child.   More information regarding this option will be coming soon from your school.  

System principal, Sarah Slater, outlines the new mandatory eLearning requirement in the video below.  



Question and Answer

I have been a remote learner for the past two years. Can I count more than one of my remote learning credits towards the eLearning requirement?

No. Students who entered Grade 9 in September 2020 are allowed to count only one remote learning credit as an eLearning credit. The remote credit must be a credit earned between April and June, 2021, during the school closure period.

I am in grade 9 in remote learning. Can I count one of my remote learning credits as an eLearning credit?

No. Students who entered Grade 9 in September 2020 are eligible to use a remote learning credit earned between April and June, 2021, in place of an eLearning credit. Students who entered Grade 9 in 2021 are required to complete two eLearning credits.

How is eLearning different than remote learning?

eLearning is asynchronous. Students and teachers may not be scheduled for the course during the same period.

Remote learning has a synchronous learning expectation. Teachers and students are scheduled for the course at the same time so they can interact in person on a daily basis.

What platform is used for eLearning?

Bluewater District School Board, as part of the Ontario eLearning Consortium, uses Brightspace as the eLearning platform. This allows Bluewater students to access courses in other boards, as well as allowing students from other boards to access Bluewater courses. Students access courses through the “My Courses in Other Orgs” widget on their Brightspace homepage.

Am I required to work on my eLearning courses during the school day?

You are encouraged to work on your eLearning credit during the school day in the time you have available. This will help you maintain a consistent schedule and will keep you up to date and organized in the course. The course shells are available for access 24 hours a day.

Can I take more than two eLearning credits if I choose to do so.

Yes. You must take a minimum of 2 eLearning credits (exception is students who entered Grade 9 in 2020/2021 who are only required to complete 1 eLearning credit). There is no maximum.

Can I take eLearning credits in grade 9 or 10?

Yes. Bluewater offers only one Grade 10 option at this time. Other boards offer some Grade 9 and 10 courses; the options are limited. It is possible to reach ahead and take Grade 11 eLearning courses in Grade 10.

Do summer school credits count as eLearning credits?

Summer school credits count if they meet the criteria of an eLearning credit. Summer school credits that require face to face synchronous time, either in person or online, are not eligible.

I started grade 9 in September 2020. Who decides which remote learning credit will be my eLearning credit?

Schools will identify one credit that will be allocated as your eLearning credit for your graduation requirement. This must be a credit earned between April and June, 2021.

Will the Bluewater District School Board provide a mifi device so students can work on their eLearning courses from home?

Students have access to high quality wifi at the school. The board-provided devices will allow students to work on assignments offline while they are at home. Mifi devices will not be provided for home use for students taking eLearning credits.

Will there be a change to the provincial report card and transcript to track the online graduation requirement?
Yes, both are in the approvals stage. Although it is difficult currently to commit to a release date, they are hoping for a Spring release to give vendors time to complete the updates for Fall implementation. For both the provincial report card and the transcript it will be patterned after the community involvement hours. On the report card, it will track the number of online credits completed and if a student opts out there will be an N/A designation. The transcript will show 2 boxes, one for the requirement being completed or N/A.

 


Bluewater District School Board is located on the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which is represented by the communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
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