Post on 31-Jan-2022
Student Handbook
Welcome to the Distance Learning Project and congratulations! You know your goals and
have decided that distance learning can get you there. With a commitment to your future and the
help of your teacher, you can begin your journey toward reaching your goals.
This Student Handbook is your starting point on that journey. It is a resource to help you
know what to do, when to do it, how to succeed, and where you can turn for help when you need
it. It is all about you and your needs as a distance learning student. The information this
Handbook contains is organized into several sections, listed below.
If you have questions about anything in this Student Handbook or about your distance
learning journey, call or email your teacher directly, or call the DLP office at 1-888-889-6020.
1. Getting Ready for Your 1st Week of Class page 2
2. Tips for Success page 3
3. Student Responsibilities page 4
4. When a Student Doesn’t Study page 4
5. Your Teacher page 5
6. Personal Study Plan page 6
7. Beginning Your Class page 7
8. Fast Forward Website for Online Students pages 8-9
9. Live Online Classes page 10
10. Information for All Students pages 11-12
11. Information for ESOL Students page 13
GED® and GED Testing Service® are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). They may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of ACE or GED Testing Service. The GED® and GED Testing Service® brands are administered by GED Testing Service LLC under license from the American Council on Education. TIU 11 is an equal educational opportunity agency. Last updated: 2/12/15
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1. Getting Ready for Your First
Week of Class
Call 1-888-889-6020 to finish your application and
schedule your phone orientation
You’ll be asked for additional information like your Social Security Number
and also to pick a time to complete your phone orientation.
You’ll get the phone number to call and a code to use.
Call into your phone orientation to choose your first class
Date: _______________
Time: _______________
Phone #: 1-877-423-3804
Code: __1234_____________
Want to get started with your studies right away?
During the orientation, let the teacher know that you want to have a
“Jump Start” on your classes and we’ll send your class materials
early.
Look for your materials on the first day of your class.
Online: Look for an email from the Distance Learning Project
(distancelearning@tiu11ces.org). Don’t see it? Check your junk or
spam folder.
Workbook: Look for a big envelope to come in the mail to your
house.
Call us at 1-888-889-6020 if you don’t receive your class materials by
the Tuesday of your first week of classes.
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2. Tips For Success
Communicate with your teacher Your teacher can help you in a lot of ways.
Celebrate your successes Think of every assignment you complete well as one step
closer to your goal.
Have a place to study A quiet place where you can focus is where you will do
your best work.
Set a study time Find a time in your daily life when you can focus and
be free from distraction and interruption.
Get the support of a friend Tell a friend or family member what you are doing with
the DLP and ask them to encourage you.
Keep track of your progress Do your assignments in order and mark down what
you have accomplished already.
Believe in yourself Reaching your goals will be hard work, but with
dedication and the support of your teacher, you can do it.
Get started right away Dive into your first assignment right away and keep your things going. Don't let too many days go without studying.
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3. Student Responsibilities
4. When a Student Doesn’t Study
Testing at your local agency: You must take a test at
your local agency to see what your abilities are
before starting with the DLP (your pretest). Then,
you must take a test at least once a year to see how
you are improving (your posttest).
Communicate with your teacher every week
Work on your assignments:
You should be ready to work
on your assignments for at
least 5 hours each week. Use
the Assignment Checklist for
your class to guide your
studying.
Students should work on their assignments and communicate with their teacher once each
week. If you don’t, here is how the teacher will try to help you get going again…
1 week of inactivity (not completing any assignments or contacting your teacher)
2 weeks of inactivity
3 weeks of inactivity
Teacher will ask the local agency to
encourage the student to study.
Teacher will again notify the local
agency that the student has not
been working on things.
The student will be un-enrolled from their
class for the remainder of the session. This
means that they will no longer have access
to their class or assignments.
If a student is un-enrolled because of inactivity but wants to begin studying
again, he/she will have to complete make-up work from their teacher first.
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5. Your Teacher Use this page to collect all the contact information for your teacher. You may have more than one
teacher during your time with the DLP, so more than one space is provided.
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Telephone: ____________________________________________
Text message: __________________________________________
Email address: __________________________________________
Skype name: _________________________________________
Mailing address: ________________________________________
________________________________________
Best day/time
to talk each week: _______________________________________
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Telephone: ____________________________________________
Text message: __________________________________________
Email address: __________________________________________
Skype name: _________________________________________
Mailing address: ________________________________________
________________________________________
Best day/time
to talk each week: _______________________________________
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6. Personal Study Plan I _________________________ on this date_________ want to begin studying to reach my educational goals. I will use the ideas in the Tips for Success sheet and completing this form to help me with my studies.
I will OWN my learning and take the responsibility needed to make my goals come true.
Best time of the day for me to study is:__________________________________
Best place for me to study is:__________________________________________
I can schedule to study at this place______________at this time_____________
My preferred learning style(s) is/are:____________________________________
I can ask the following people questions about my studies:
1)______________________ phone:_____________email:____________
2)______________________ phone:_____________email:____________
I have a GOAL(s) I will achieve. My GOAL(s) is/are:
1)___________________________________________________________
2)___________________________________________________________
The REWARD(s) for achieving my goal(s) is/are:
1)__________________________________________________________
2)___________________________________________________________
By working on my studies, I will be ready for a posttest by: __________________
I will contact my local agency to schedule my posttest so I can see what new skills I’ve learned: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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7. Beginning Your Class
Online student
1. Get your Welcome Email You should get your Welcome Email by the first day of class. This email contains everything you need to get started in your class, including your teacher’s contact information, your own username and password for the website of your course, the link to that website, and a link and information for your weekly Live Online Class.
2. Look over your online materials The Assignment Checklist for your class is attached to your Welcome Email. Using the information in the Welcome Email, log in to the website for assignments for your class. Information on the “Fast Forward” website that holds most of the assignments for most of our classes can be found in this packet on pages 8 and 9.
3. Contact your teacher It is important that you talk with your teacher every week, and your first time is very important. You should discuss:
□ Your goals in doing distance learning □ The best day and time to talk each week □ What you think will challenge you □ What you want to accomplish in 6 weeks □ Questions about how distance learning works
4. Start your Week 1 assignments Check the Assignment Checklist to see your first assignment. Then click on the link in your Welcome Email to get there and get started. The orientation video that is in your Welcome Email can answer many questions you might have.
5. Attend your first Live Online Class See your Welcome Email for the time and date of your weekly Live Online Class. Click on the link there a few minutes before the start to login.
Workbook student
1. Get your materials You should get a packet of workbook materials by the first day of class. It will have the workbooks and everything that you will need. Write your answers on the “Reflection Sheets” and mail them back to your teacher each week.
2. Look over your materials Take a few minutes to look through the workbook materials that you got. Look at the Assignment Checklist for what assignments are due in each of the six weeks of the session. Let your teacher know if you have any questions about what you will need to do or what you should return.
3. Contact your teacher It is important that you talk with your teacher every week, and your first time is very important. You should discuss:
□ Your goals in doing distance learning □ The best day and time to talk each week □ What you think will challenge you □ What you want to accomplish in 6 weeks □ Questions about how distance learning works
4. Start your Week 1 assignments Check the Assignment Checklist to see your first assignment. When you are done you will mail your answers on the “Reflection Sheet” for that week in the stamped envelope provided. Getting off to a strong start right away on your first assignment is very important. So dive right in and let your teacher know if you have any questions.
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8. Fast Forward website for
Online Students
Fast Forward is the website where most of the
assignments for most of our GED® level classes are
found.
Click on the subject that you are studying with the DLP
to begin working on your next assignment
When you login with the username and
password that we give you, Fast Forward
will record all of the studying that you do
so you will never lose your place.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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In Fast Forward you will work on
units for each subject. Each unit is
made up of a number of lessons. Be
sure to read every page in the lesson
to learn each skill.
After you do a lesson and look at the menu, the
“Lesson Review” will appear underneath that lesson
for you to click on. Make sure that you do these
lesson reviews because they are where you will
practice the skills and knowledge you need on the
GED® test.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Albert Einstein
“Life is not easy. Life is tough. But when you’re tough on yourself,
life is going to be infinitely easier on you.”
Zig Ziglar
When you have passed all the lesson reviews
for a unit, you will take the “Topic Review” to
test your knowledge of the whole unit.
Aim for 80% on each lesson review and
topic review. Keep track of your progress
and make sure that you are doing the
units in the order they are given on the
Assignment Checklist.
unit
lessons
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9. Live Online Classes
Each week, online students have a one hour class with their teacher and other students to learn new
skills. These classes are a great way to build on the work you are doing when you study on your own.
How long is my LOC? Your weekly LOC is a one hour long class where your teacher presents a lesson that is meant to
be in addition to the studying you are doing online on your own. It will be held the same time and
day each week for the entire six-week session.
How do I get there? Your teacher, you, and a handful of other students will login online and listen and talk using the
website shared with you in your Welcome Email.
What will we do? Just like sitting in a classroom, you can work on things with other students or ask your teacher
questions.
What if I can’t make it? If you ever know you will not attend the LOC that week, please let your teacher know ahead of
time. “Call off” just like you would for a job.
Your teacher can share
their screen to view a
lesson. Or they can let
you share YOUR screen!
Use a headset, or use the
microphone and speakers in
your computer or device.
The chat box can be
used to write an
answer or to talk to
your teacher.
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10. Information for All Students What courses does the DLP offer? The Distance Learning Project offers adult students a variety of courses to study to prepare for
their educational goals. Many of our students have the goal of getting their high school
equivalency diploma and so we offer classes that cover the four subject areas of the GED® exam.
o GED® / Adult Basic Education – This group of courses often prepares students to pass the
GED® exam. Students study one subject at a time to cover Math, Reading, Science,
Writing, and Social Studies.
o ESOL – ESOL stands for “English for Speakers of Other Languages.” Our ESOL classes are
available only online and can help you improve your English skills if English is not your first
language.
o ESOL/Adult Basic Education “Bridge” Class – For ESOL students who have tested above our ESOL levels and want to continue to improve their reading and writing skills, we offer this “bridge” class.
o Transition to Postsecondary Education – Students who already have their high school
equivalency diploma and who want to prepare themselves for further education can study
with this course to get ready for the next level of their education.
How long is a class?
We work in six-week sessions and the goal is for students to work individually with the help of a
teacher and to complete the six weeks of assignments by the end of the session. When you do
finish the class at that time, you can move on to the next class or another subject in the next six-
week session.
Should I study online or with workbooks?
By now you know that you can choose to be a workbook student or an online student with the
Distance Learning Project and have already made that choice. Workbook students receive a
packet of materials to study in the mail and use the stamped envelopes we give them to return
their answers to their teacher every week. However, not all of our classes are offered via
workbooks. Online students work entirely online using a handful of websites that have their
assignments. Online students also should attend a weekly one-hour Live Online Class with their
teacher. Both formats have assignments broken into six-week sessions and have the support of a
teacher.
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What if I have a problem?
Any time you have a problem or question about your distance learning, the first place you should
turn is your distance learning teacher. If he or she is not available at the phone number or email
you have been given, you can call the DLP office at 1-888-889-6020 to talk with another DLP
teacher.
o Grievance procedures – If you have a problem that you do not want to go to your teacher
for help with, or if you have a grievance, you can contact Destiny Simpson, the DLP Project
Coordinator, by phone at (717) 248-4942, extension 199. If Destiny Long is your teacher,
you may contact Adele Craig, the DLP Project Director, by phone at (717) 248-4942,
extension 106.
When can I go to take my GED exams?
When you take your GED® exams is still up to you. Talk with your teacher and ask if he or she
feels that you are ready to pass the exam. We usually recommend that students take the GED®
exams one at a time after studying each subject with the DLP, but every student’s situation is
unique. You should consider taking the official GED Ready®practice exam online before
scheduling your GED® exam.
What other resources are available?
o Transitions counseling – If you know you’d like a job but aren’t sure what kind of job or if
you’re thinking about going to school and need some help, our Transitions Counselor can
help. Ask your teacher to connect you with our Transitions Counselor. The Transitions
Counselor helps students to identify and explore career options and to create a plan to
reach the career they choose.
o Is the DLP on Facebook or Twitter?
Yes! You can connect with the Distance Learning Project on Facebook at
“PADistanceLearningProject”. On Twitter, the DLP is @PADLP.
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying
to harvest where you haven’t planted.”
David Bly
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11. Information for ESOL Students
What classes does the DLP have for English language learners?
o ESOL levels 3 (intermediate) through level 5 (advanced) – These courses are for adults for
whom English is not their first language. By taking a placement test you will be put into
the correct level of ESOL classes for your ability.
o ESOL/Adult Basic Education “Bridge” Class – For ESOL students who have tested above our ESOL levels and want to continue to improve their reading and writing skills, we offer this “bridge” class.
Where do I start?
Before you begin your first class, you will have participated in an orientation for ESOL students.
This orientation is over the phone and also uses the online program “Adobe Connect” to view
things online.
In the week before each new six-week session begins, you will receive a Welcome Email from the
DLP. In it you will find the name and contact information for your teacher, all the usernames and
passwords you will need, and links to the websites that we use for our class and assignments.
There is also a short list to tell you how to get started. You will receive a new Welcome Email at
the beginning of every six-week session and it is a good idea to keep each one during that
session.
What are the commitments of being an ESOL student?
Just like any other DLP student, it is your responsibility to talk with your teacher every week, and to
work about three to five hours online in the ESOL Community Class. You should also join in two Live
Online Classes (LOCs) each week.
What do I do in the ESOL Community?
In the ESOL Community you will do three main things:
o Complete an Individual Learning Plan – Your Individual Learning Plan is a 20 question
survey about why you want to study English. This survey helps the teachers make a class
just for you.
o Rosetta Stone – This online language learning software is matched to your skills. You can
use this website by yourself whenever you choose.
o Live Online Classes (LOCs) – Twice each week you will attend classes online with a teacher
and other students. You’ll get to practice talking and listening in English with other
students and your teacher. There are several times each week that you can choose from.