Students

Access to Online Courses

Orientation Videos

Personalized Tours

BHVA Open House & Personalized Tours – Please call the virtual academy office to schedule your informational meeting & tour today! 610-682-5102 ext. 2050

Forms & Resources

Attendance Policy

Parents/Guardians are required to monitor an keep track of their child’s online progress. Attendance and time online will be tracked through the online Learning Management System.

Students are required to log into their online course(s) for a minimum of one hour per school day for the attendance requirement. If the student is logged in for less than one hour, he/she will be marked absent for the school day. District attendance policies apply to BHVA students. Parents/Guardians must submit an excuse for an absence within three days of the absence. Please send absence excuses to the school attendance secretary or fax it to 610-682-5139.

FAQs for Students New to Online Education

Is online learning for me?
The online student must take responsibility for his or her own learning. In any online education program, the student must be a self-directed learner, have internal motivation to manage his or her own learning during the course of study, and have a basic grasp of Internet navigation.

What are the system requirements needed in order to take online courses?
Online courses are web-based, so all you need is an Internet connection and a browser (ex. Google Chrome). For elective courses using specific software, students will be assisted by out IT Staff to install required software.

What Do I Need to Do to Succeed in an Online Course?
When you take an online course you need to prepare yourself as you would for any course in a classroom setting. Key differences are that your teacher is online and not face-to-face, and your textbook is on a computer. In an online course, time management is critical to success because most activities can be accomplished asynchronously, which means you don’t necessarily have to be online at the same time as your instructor or other students. You may be enrolled in an Introduction to Online Learning class. This class will prepare you for success as an online student.

The Importance of Taking Notes
Take notes on all the material as you read and work through your course, just as you would when listening to your teacher lecture or as you read a textbook. You can hand-write your notes in a notebook or enter them on the computer. The notes you take will prepare you for studying prior to taking any tests throughout the course.

Creating a Work Schedule
The advantage of learning on your own time also makes it easier to put off logging on and participating in class. As with any traditional course, you risk earning a lower grade if you fall behind. Your schedule is up to you but if you do not do the work, it does not get done.

  • The maximum number of days that you are required to work on your course is 18 weeks.

  • Set goals for yourself. Use your course syllabus to help you. Plan on working a specific number of hours per week on a regular basis on your course work.

  • Pencil in dates to ensure you can finish within the time frame you have been allotted.

  • If you start to fall behind, you will need to plan on making up your assignments.

  • Falling behind more that one week could turn into a serious problem before you realize it.

  • It is important to pace yourself as assignments will vary in length.

  • The calendar will help you stay on track with your assignments.

  • Always remember to contact your teacher if you are having problems with any aspect of your course, or would like to discuss a work schedule. Your teacher wants you to succeed.

Who is My Teacher?
Your teacher for each course is a certified classroom teacher who has experience teaching online courses. Your first introduction to your teacher will be in a welcome e-mail letter that you will receive when your course is approved by our district.

You will also receive a welcome email from your teacher after your enrollment is approved. Your teacher will give you an overview of the course and answer any questions you have.

How Can I Contact My Teacher?
You may contact your teacher via chat, e-mail or telephone. For easy reference, your teacher contact information is listed in your course information on the dashboard. In order for your teacher to understand clearly who they are working with and how they can help you, please remember the following when you contact them:

  • State your first name and last name

  • State the name of the course to which you are referring

  • State the chapter and lesson name if applicable

  • State your question or reason for your contacting your teacher

Students may use the toll-free phone number from anywhere in the United States. Whether the call is made from home or a cell phone at school, there is no long-distance charge to the student. Teachers or teaching assistants are available Mondays through Fridays. Technical assistance is available 24/7.

Instant Help
The Live Tutor or Student Support button is located in the upper right corner of the screen when you are logged-in to your course. To enter the chat room and get real-time assistance, click on the Live Tutor or Student Support button.

Within chat you can also watch your teacher work out problems on the white board feature attached to the chat room. To have a person-to-person conversation with your teacher in chat, double click on your teacher’s name to open a new chat window. Type your message just as you would do in the main chat room, click send when you are finished typing. If your teacher is available to respond, you will receive a message that says “Your teacher has accepted your chat request”. Only you and your teacher will see your conversation.

If you do not see the name of the teacher with whom you wish to speak, ask another teacher to help you or contact your teacher for you. They will be happy to assist you. If your teacher is unavailable or busy assisting another student you can send an e-mail or call one of our teaching assistants, who will set up an appointment for you with your teacher.

Chat Etiquette
It is important to remember that the chat room is considered a classroom. Only conversations pertaining to course information or questions should enter the chat room. Just as a classroom teacher would not allow free talking during the class period, students are not allowed to chat freely about various topics. When you are addressing your teacher, whether it is in chat, e-mail, or by telephone, please remember to use good manners and always treat your teachers with respect.

For safety, you should never exchange personal information with another student. This is something you should not do whether you are in the online chat system, or anywhere on the Internet.

BHVA maintains strict rules concerning the chat room:

  • The chat room is monitored 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week.

  • All conversations in the chat room are recorded and archived.

  • Inappropriate conversation is not allowed at any time in the chat room.

  • Students disregarding chat room rules will be subject to disciplinary measures.

  1. First Offense: A student will receive an e-mail warning or a phone call.

  2. Second Offense: A student will be disengaged from the chat room for one week.

  3. Third Offense: A student will be disengaged from the chat room for one month.

  4. Fourth Offense: As a result of continuous inappropriate behavior a student will be disengaged from the chat room permanently. Communication with your teacher will be via e-mail, fax and telephone.

Enrollment
When a student’s enrollment has been approved by the virtual academy, he/she will first receive a welcome e-mail from their teacher.

How Do I Login?
Go to your URL to Edgenuity or Accelerate.

Type in the Username and Password you established when you enrolled, then click Login. (same as your laptop login)

If you forget your username or password, simply contact the virtual academy office.  We can recover your username and password over the phone.

How Do I Get To My Course?
After you Login, select Classroom from the Application Menu. Once there, you will see a list of your course. Click on Course Home to begin your class. To navigate through your course for the first time, click on Start from Beginning. Once you have made progress in the course you will be able to click Last Point to automatically return to the last section of the course you were working on. You cannot skip past sections that are not completed.

How Are My Courses Structured?
In order to determine the basic content and what you must complete in the course prior to the final exam, it is important to review your Syllabus and Assignment Chart for the list of all assignments, essays, and tests. Use the Study Guide as you read through the materials to take notes.

Take notes on all the material as you read and work through your course, just as you would when listening to your  teacher lecture or as you read a textbook. Taking good notes will help prepare you for studying prior to taking any tests throughout the course.

What is an URL?
You will see an annotation, or explanation of the lesson, along with other information that you will need to know in your course work. Some lessons contain click able URLs. This is an address that takes you to a website on the Internet. When you click on an URL you will go to a site that contains information or activities that you need to read and study. When you are finished reading and taking your notes on each website, simply click on the close button located in the bottom right corner of your screen to close the website and take you back to your course.

What is a Syllabus?
At the very beginning of your course, you will see a URL, or the word Course Syllabus. Click on either of these to bring up your course syllabus. A syllabus is a document that provides you with information about your teacher, technical support contact information and your class. The syllabus is not an assignment in itself. It is an important document and provides a week-by-week guide that will help you know what is expected of you during your course. It is advisable to print out the syllabus and keep it handy for reference as you work throughout the course. Use the Syllabus to assist you in planning how much time you will need in order to be successful in your course.

What is a Course Outline?
Your online course is structured in Units, Chapters, and Lessons. When you begin your class, you should work through the Units in the order that they are listed. Each Unit contains one or more Chapters on a particular subject. Each Chapter is made up of multiple Lessons which will require you to read, perform an activity, write a paper or an essay, do homework, or take a test.

E-mail Etiquette

  • Check your e-mail daily and always reply, even if it is brief.

  • Be very careful how you express yourself, especially if you are upset.

  • Do not use all capital letters. It is the email equivalent to shouting at someone.

  • Use both your first and last name in emails to your teacher.

  • In addition to your name, when sending an assignment to your teacher, always include the name of the course and the name of the chapter.

  • This will help your teacher post your grades quickly and correctly.

  • Always spell check before sending an e-mail.

  • Use your best vocabulary and proper grammar skills. Use proper capitalization and punctuation. Do not use slang.

  • Do not open unexpected email attachments from someone, even if it is someone you know. Attachments can contain viruses and other software that is potentially harmful to your computer. Check with the sender to confirm that they sent you an attachment before opening.

Student Notes
The Student Notes will allow you to “jot” down any thoughts concerning a certain part of your course. Notes can be accessed from anywhere in your course, except for quizzes and tests, by clicking on the Notes Button.

What is the Course Outline?
The Outline will display each unit and chapter in your course. The units and chapters with the Jump To buttons are the units or chapters that you have accessed. It is necessary to go in the order in which a class is outlined.

How Do I to Prepare an Assignment?
When you come to an assignment in your course, there will be directions for you to follow. For example, if you are assigned a 500 word essay, make sure you understand what you are supposed to write in your essay before you start. Open a word processing program and type your essay. Remember to SAVE as you type. When your essay is finished, proofed, spell-checked and ready to submit to your teacher, go to the Student Locker inside your course (see Student Locker video on your home page for an instructional video on how to submit). Your teacher will promptly grade your essays, paper assignments and manually graded tests within one week of them being submitted. Once graded, your teacher will immediately post your grade so you may view it.

There are tests or assignments throughout your course. Please be careful not to miss any. They do not come just at the end of a unit.

What is the Policy for Taking Tests?
You are allowed to open a test ONCE. Be sure that you have completed all the work required for the unit and are ready to take your test when you begin. Allow yourself plenty of time to finish. When you are finished click the Submit button located at the bottom of the screen.

If you do not continue to work actively in your test you may be timed out. If you open a test and then close your computer screen or click Submit for Grade you will be locked out of your test. If you feel you have been unfairly locked out of a test due to computer problems, please contact your teacher immediately via personal chat or telephone.

If you open a browser while taking a test, you will be immediately locked out of the test.

Your school district has the option to require you to take tests at the school with a proctor. It is the decision of the school district whether to allow you to retake a test for an improved grade with remediation prior to the test. You will automatically receive your test results for multiple choice, true/false and specific fill in the blank questions.
Manually graded assignments and tests will be graded within one week.

When Will I Receive My Grades?
Some homework assignments and tests are graded by the system. Other assignments, such as papers, essays, and long and short answer test questions are graded by your teacher, who will enter the grade manually. Your teacher will notify you by e-mail that she/he has received your assignment. After submitting an assignment, your grade should be posted within a week. In peak grading periods when graduation deadlines are approaching, it is advisable to not wait until the last moment to submit your assignments.

How Can I Look at My Grades?
From your homepage, go to Classroom and hover over the drop down box labeled My Courses.
You will see a selection labeled, My Grades.

How Long Can I Work on a Course?
The time limit on a course is 18 weeks. We want our students to finish within the scheduled school semester. Each course is designed to be equivalent of one semester of work. Full year courses are labeled parts A and B. For example, Algebra 1A is the first semester of Algebra 1. Algebra 1B is the second semester of Algebra 1. Taking Algebra 1A and 1B would be the equivalent of one year of Algebra.

To view how many days you have remaining in a class, go to the bottom of your home page and review the student progress report.