How do I sign up for an online course?
Courses offered for the 2002-2003 school year  include:  English 9, Algebra 1, Biology, Art History, World history, Statistics, and AP Government and Economics.  See the Clovis Unified "Course Description Catalog" for prerequisites.
  
Visit our "How to Enroll"  page
   
Take the "Is Online Learning For Me" quiz to see if online learning is for you!  
  
Talk to your counselor and email Rob Darrow in the CAL Online office to let him know of your interest.  If you have any questions about the program you can email Mr. Darrow or call (559) 327-9636.
              

Do students need a computer to take these courses?
Students can use a computer at home or a computer at school to take these courses.

Computer Recommendation for Home:  

• Pentium based computer (or equivalent) with at least 64mb of RAM that is connected to the Internet.  

• Need to subscribe to some type of Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as MSN, Pacific Bell Internet, or America Online.

• Modem: 56K speed or faster

• Web Browser: Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher

• Required Software:  Microsoft Office 97 or higher (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)

Computers Available at School:  There will be computers available for online students in the Library Media Center at each high school if you would like to complete your coursework at school.  Any computer at any location that meets the minimum computer requirements and is connected to the Internet will allow a student to take one of the online courses.
    

Who is teaching these online courses?
Clovis Unified high school teachers are teaching these courses.  They are experienced teachers who have participated in training with a similar online high school program in Florida.   Florida Online High School (www.flvs.net) began in August 1997 and currently has 3000 students across Florida taking online high school courses.  We have an ongoing mentoring relationship with the Florida online teachers.

The Clovis teachers are learning more about online teaching and the use of online technology on a daily basis.   The primary methods of communication in these courses are via the World Wide Web, telephone, and e-mail.   Teachers will also include interactive components in these courses such as threaded discussions, instructional chat rooms and other communication technology as it becomes available.

The overall policies for online courses are being established and will be posted on the website soon.
                  

What kinds of safeguards are being put into these courses to prevent cheating?  Who is to say when a student is taking a test on-line that they are indeed the person taking the test, not their brother, parent, friend, or me for that matter?
Students and parents will sign an Acceptable Use Policy, which will include a statement of academic honesty--that they will be doing their own work.  In addition, parents have access to their child’s work at all times via the online course tool. Online teachers in Florida, who have been doing this for four years with over 2500 students, say that there is very little cheating overall.  The same safeguards against cheating are in place as in a face-to-face classroom--getting to know the students.   In face-to-face classes, teachers spend time getting to know their students through their writing and class discussions.  The same is true in the online world.  From the early interactions via email, phone conversations, and online postings, teachers learn about their students’ goals, interests and ability levels. 

As for assessments in these online courses:

• Some online assessments are project based where students have to incorporate personal interest items into the assignments. 
• Additional assessment options also include:
  • phone
  • online  (built into the online course tool include immediate feedback for multiple choice and short answer; tests can be timed online as well)
  • parents verify test taken at home
  • face-to-face testing centers

As Clovis Unified creates benchmark tests in different subjects, some of these may be taken in a face-to-face setting as well.  The online teachers are in the process of determining the best process, by which to assess student learning, which will probably be a combination of the above.   

Overall, the issues of cheating and assessment, regardless of the setting, come down to character and trust between student and teacher.