eLearning at Grand Erie

eLearning Requirement

In February 2022, the Ministry of Education added a new online learning requirement for secondary students to graduate, and also provided an opt-out process for this requirement (PPM 167).

Beginning with the cohort of students who entered Grade 9 in the 2020-21 year, all students must earn a minimum of two online learning credits as part of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) unless they have opted out or are exempted. Adult learners entering the Ontario secondary school system in 2023-24 or later will also be required to meet this graduation requirement, unless they opt out.

The goal of this requirement is to support the development of digital literacy and other important transferable skills, with a vision to provide equitable access to high-quality online learning to every student to help prepare them to succeed in a digital and ever-changing world.

Students working towards other certificates are not required to complete the online learning graduation requirement, but may be encouraged to enroll in online learning courses to support the development of digital literacy and other important transferable skills.

Please contact your school for further information on this new requirement and the opt-out process.

 

About eLearning

eLearning courses use a virtual classroom and are accessed by an electronic device. The teacher may be from a school in Grand Erie, or from another school board in Ontario.

In eLearning courses, students will not be face-to-face with their teachers. Students enrolled in eLearning courses are required to attend and engage in their eLearning courses regularly and consistently, as they do for their face-to-face classes. There is an Orientation Module available within Grand Erie eLearning courses, to support students’ success in their online learning.

In addition to the two-course government requirement described above, eLearning courses are typically taken by senior students to fulfill other missing Graduation Course Requirements. This provides opportunities for students to access courses that they might not otherwise be able to take in a face-to-face class. As well, eLearning is a now commonly found at the post-secondary level (apprenticeships, college, or university), and is often used in workplace training. All students must be registered in a school in their home board before accessing eLearning opportunities. For this reason, schools may receive registration requests from students who are currently considered as home-schooled students.

 

Registration

Students can select their courses by using myBlueprint or in cconultation with their guidance counselor. Principals, in collaboration with the student and parent(s) and a guidance counselor, consider the best interests of the student when making decisions around facilitating access to eLearning.

 

Technical Requirements

Students will require access to a device to complete their learning. Grand Erie students have access to a device within their home school so that they can work on their course during the regular school day. Students may want to have access to a device and the internet outside of regular school hours. 

Before you begin an eLearning course, check the Technical Requirements.

 

Access the Virtual Learning Environment

eLearning courses are a form of online learning, taken in Grand Erie’s Virtual Learning Environment, Brightspace. To access eLearning courses, log in to Brightspace.

 

More Information

• For a list of course offerings, see your guidance counselor.
• If you are a registered eLearning student, review the eLearning Student Checklist.

 

Support

If you have concerns or questions, please contact:

John Della Fortuna,
eLearning Principal

john.dellafortuna@granderie.ca