StarNET Shared Classes Guidelines

StarNET Shared Classes Guidelines Developed by the StarNET Distance Learning Workgroup 2009-2010 Approved by the Ingham County Superintendents, April 28, 2010 1

Definitions Sending school or sending site refers to the site/school offering a course to other schools. Receiving school or receiving site refers to the site/school receiving a course offered by a sending school. The distance learning coordinator is the person or persons responsible for coordinating and facilitating distance learning activities on the StarNet network. Sending site instructor is the instructor teaching the course at the sending site. Remote students are students located at a receiving site. Course Offerings and Scheduling Courses will run according to sending school s schedule. Receiving schools must modify their schedule to make students available. Creating a schedule of courses to be offered: o High school principals and the distance learning coordinator will meet periodically to create, refine, and finalize a schedule of courses to be offered. We suggest schools include their high school counselors as desired/required. Note: for middle school courses, middle school principals would meet with the distance learning coordinator (and counselors as desired/required). o The following dates will be used for scheduling purposes: By October 10 th of each year, the distance learning coordinator sends survey asking each district to provide information on which classes they would be willing to offer, as well as what classes they would be interested in receiving. By October 30 th of each year, surveys must be returned in order for a school to participate in shared classes. Note: schools who intend to offer courses should include scheduling information such as their bell times, semesters/trimesters, blocks, etc. By November 30, the distance learning coordinator will compile the survey results into a scheduling grid, and will distribute the grid to districts for review, and to gauge levels of interest in potential class offerings. By February 1, all districts will respond to the distance learning coordinator with the courses they are interested in and the number of students who are likely to participate. By February 15, the distance learning coordinator will compile this information and issue a shared class master schedule to all districts. By May 15, all participating districts must commit to the number of students registered as a receiving site. This number will be used for billing purposes by the sending school. A 20/20 rule will be used to allow for minor variances in registration. This will allow receiving sites to add or subtract students at 20% of the committed number before the class meets for the first time. 2

A sending school has discretion whether to offer the course or not, but will do so no later than May 15 th. Extenuating circumstances clause: commitments made based on the guidelines above may be overridden based on extenuating circumstances such as emergencies, tragedies, disasters, etc. o Scheduling for courses outside of StartNet network would be done on a peer-to-peer basis. The distance learning coordinator may provide services to assist in scheduling, test connects, etc. Classroom Policies Class sizes o Class sizes should be held to a maximum of 24 students among the sending and receiving sites. o Class sizes should be based upon the appropriate number of students for the specific learning activity, and should be small enough to allow all students to be on camera simultaneously, and allow for full two-way interactive participation. Participating sites o The maximum number of sites participating in an individual shared class should be limited to four (one sending plus three receiving sites). o When more than three sites are interested in receiving the same shared class section, the following guidelines should be used to help eliminate conflicts: The goal is to provide educational opportunities to the maximum number of students possible. All other considerations aside, sites should be serviced on a first come first served model. o The distance learning coordinator will assist in resolving scheduling conflicts and help ensure equitable access to all schools. o If circumstances warrant, the maximum of four participating sites can be waived upon mutual agreement of all participating sites. Instructor responsibilities o The instructor will provide a syllabus, course description, course calendar/schedule, grading and attendance policies, class rules, etc on or before the first day of class. Materials o The sending site will identify textbooks and course materials, but each site is responsible for procuring the materials for its own students. Each site is ultimately responsible for ensuring their students have the appropriate and necessary materials. o Worksheets, tests, handouts and the like will be provided by the sending site. It is recommended that BlackBoard be used for the sharing of this type of materials. If this method is not feasible, other electronic methods should be used whenever possible (i.e. e-mail, fax, etc). 3

Monitoring o Supervision of students at each receiving site shall be done at discretion of, and is the sole responsibility of, each receiving site. Student Contract o All participating students and their parents/guardians will sign a StarNet Student Contract in order to participate in StarNet shared classes. Discipline o Lawful and ethical behavior is expected and required of all students participating in StarNet programs. o Students are expected to behave appropriately at all times and should be aware they are in an environment in which they may be on camera (i.e. remotely viewable) at all times. o Discipline shall be the responsibility of the district of residence of the student in question. In the case of discipline or behavior issues at remote sites: instructors should report any unacceptable behavior or disciplinary concerns as soon as possible, as dictated by the circumstances, to the receiving site s discipline contact. o Repeated breach of classroom rules, unethical and/or unlawful behaviors, or gross misconduct of any nature may result in the student being removed from the class. A history of such behavior may prohibit the student from future participation in StarNet offerings. o Any student who damages or destroys equipment may be responsible for making full restitution for the repair or replacement of said equipment at the discretion of the site at which the equipment was damaged or destroyed. o Throughout any discipline processes, it is the responsibility of all parties involved to: Communicate and cooperate Perform due diligence Assure the rights of the student are observed Attendance o Courses will run according to the sending school s schedule. As such, students at receiving schools are expected to attend classes in accordance with this schedule or make prior arrangements with the course instructor. o Students who miss shared classes regularly or excessively may be removed from the class. o Students at receiving sites are expected to adhere to the calendar/schedule of the sending site. o Students are responsible for any and all work missed within an approved schedule provided by the sending site instructor. o It is the responsibility of the sending site instructor to report attendance, on a daily basis, to each receiving site s attendance contact. It is recommended electronic methods should be used whenever possible (i.e. BlackBoard, e-mail, fax, etc). 4

o It is the responsibility of the sending site instructor to clearly communicate attendance policies to all receiving sites. This information should also include: Guidelines for cases of emergency or unexpected school closings (snow days, etc). The time frame and method for students who have missed one or more classes to make up work from the days he/she was absent. Grading and progress reporting o It is the responsibility of the sending site instructor to provide an adequate, accurate, and reliable system for reporting student progress toward achieving the academic goals of the class. This should include the periodic reporting of progress as well as providing grades needed for the receiving site to post report cards and transcripts in a timely fashion. o Grading criteria should be clear, consistent, and communicated to all students at the beginning of the course. o The sending site instructor is ultimately responsible for determining a student s grade. That grade may not be changed without the sending site instructor s consent unless overruled in accordance with State law or established policy of the student s home district. o The use of differing assessment types is encouraged to accommodate differing styles of learning. o All grades and associated assessment materials shall be conveyed to the student s home district for inclusion in their permanent file (CA-60). o The sending site instructor should take the opportunity to treat remote students in the same fashion as local students in regard to parental communications. If possible, remote student s parents should be encouraged to participate in parent teacher conference via StarNet distance learning equipment or in person. o It is recommended that Blackboard be used as a tool to track progress for the students. Contacts Technical o Each district will provide their own students and instructors with a main point of contact for technical support issues. o The Ingham Intermediate School District (IISD) help desk will act as a backup technical support number. o Technical support numbers should be clearly posted in the areas where the distance learning equipment will be used. o Each receiving site will provide a main technical contact to the sending site and instructor. Discipline o Each receiving site will provide a main discipline contact as well as an alternative contact to the sending site and instructor. Attendance/grading 5

o Each receiving site will provide an attendance and grading contact to the sending site and instructor. Hardware and Maintenance Each district shall be responsible for the repair and maintenance of its own distance learning equipment. o Should a piece of equipment be damaged beyond repair, the district is responsible for the procurement of replacement equipment. IISD and the distance learning coordinator will make every effort to ensure sending and receiving sites remain operational for participants in StarNet shared classes. This support may include: o Coordinating support with local technical departments/support structures. o Evaluating the needs and feasibility of keeping a spare parts inventory of critical components. o In the case of a hardware failure at a sending or receiving site, coordinating the movement of unused/available equipment (or spare parts if applicable) to the site in question to keep the program operational until the site is able to make repairs or procure replacement equipment. o Should more than one district experience hardware failures at the same time, priority for support shall be as follows: Sending sites over receiving sites Sending sites with the most remote students over sending sites with fewer remote students. Receiving sites with the most remote students over receiving sites with less remote students. Each district shall be responsible for repairs and/or obtaining replacement equipment in a timely fashion. Each district is responsible for ensuring network operation and capacity capable of supporting shared classes. o Whenever possible, sending or receiving districts will notify any other districts involved in a particular course of planned or unplanned outages. StartNet will be responsible for ensuring network operations and capacity of the StarNet wide area network (WAN). o Whenever possible, StarNet will send notices of planned or unplanned outages. While teachers may not be held primarily responsible for the set-up or dismantling of equipment, teachers will be responsible for routine daily procedures necessary to activate and operate the system. o Teachers should report any problems with the distance learning equipment or its operation to their technical contact as soon as possible. It is recommended that maintenance contracts be kept on all StarNet distance learning hardware and software. Payments and fees StarNet sending and receiving schools will negotiate any and all fees which the receiving schools will pay to the sending site. This negotiation will include 6

invoicing, payment schedules, and any other details necessary. Ideally, negotiated fees should reflect a mutually advantageous situation for all of the involved sites with a focus on providing opportunities for students. For Example: o A StarNet receiving site may pay a fee of $250 per student, per class, per semester while a non StarNet (i.e. school not part of the StarNet consortium) might pay$500 per student, per class, per semester to a StarNet sending site. StarNet sending and receiving schools will negotiate the minimum enrollment necessary to reasonably deliver a distance learning course (offerings may be canceled if minimums are not met). Sending and receiving sites will also negotiate maximum students per site, as well as the manner in which enrollment is calculated for billing purposes (i.e. the enrollment after the class has met for the first time). Training Shared Class Instructors o The StarNet distance learning coordinator will ensure all sending site instructors have received training either as part of a training group or individual. This training will include: Instructions on how to operate the distance learning equipment. Information on best practices of teaching using a distance learning forum. Tips on how to effectively integrate the distance learning equipment to maximize the value of the technology. Other Teachers and Support Staff o The StarNet distance learning coordinator will be available to give instruction on the use of the distance learning equipment individually or in groups. A train the trainer model is the preferable method. Students o It is recommended that students at receiving sites receive training in the following two areas: How to be an effective student in a shared class (i.e. etiquette, understanding how the technology impacts the course, etc). How to operate the distance learning equipment (if desired). Instructional Events The distance learning coordinator will form an advisory committee, which will meet periodically during the school year. o The committee should have representation from all participating StarNet school districts. o It is recommended that media specialists, technology directors, or other educational technologies who will encourage and facilitate the use of distance learning events in their district participate 7

o The committee will provide an opportunity for districts to coordinate events, share information and best practices, and identify opportunities. The distance learning coordinator will be a resource for coordinating distance learning events, pursuing grant monies for such events, and aligning schools with similar needs. o Ad hoc scheduling of point-to-point connections can be initiated by any district. o If the connection requires the use of a bridge or gateway, it should be scheduled through the distance learning coordinator. The TWICE website (http://www.twice.cc/) can be used to assist in locating distance learning opportunities. o Membership in the organizations such as TWICE is encouraged for participating districts. 8