What is the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative?

Detailed information can be found on our main page at www.ovec.org. In 1997, OVEC was awarded one of six grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education. The intent of these grants is to demonstrate new ways to use technology to improve student learning and achievement within highly mobile populations. From this grant, titled the Kentucky Migrant Technology Project, new uses for Internet technology to deliver online course content were studied, perfected, and implemented.

Can I access this at home?

As long as you have Internet connectivity at your home you can access these resources.

What does it cost?

There are a number of pricing plans available, which we have created to maximize our ability to help teachers and students throughout the world. Going through the registration wizard is an excellent way of deciding on a set of product features at a price point you can afford.

Through whom is this accredited?

iclasses.org is not a separate accrediting body or institution. We have developed courses for middle and high school students that conform to the highest national standards. All courses that are used for credit purposes receive the credit through the local school the student is currently attending. It is up to the online course account user to contact his or her local school district to work out this process. Not all schools are willing or able to use this new form of online learning, so the granting of credits for completed courses will be on a case-by-case basis as decided upon by the school or district.

Can I take one of these courses in place of a regular high school course and still get credit for it?

This will need to be determined by your school administration once they have reviewed the course content and determined its acceptability as a for-credit class. Theoretically, you should be able to do this, but online learning is still a very new concept and schools are just adjusting to this new way of teaching and learning.

Will colleges accept these courses?

If your school grants you a credit for one of these courses then it goes on your transcript and a college will accept the credit.

How long will it take me to finish a course?

Each course is typically designed as a full year or semester-long class based on regular school attendance and the hour or so a student would regularly spend each day in class. The fact that a student can work at his or her own pace and time frame could allow students to complete these courses faster.

How can I get any partial credit if I do not finish the whole course?

Before starting, all students must have been registered by a local school representative, who must set up an account user profile in the registration wizard. Through contact with this person, and with clear samples of your work and online test scores, your school should be able to grant you partial credit. This is strictly up to the participating schools and will be left to their own policies and procedures.

What if I have trouble with some of the material?

We have attempted to design and build each course to offer students a clear understanding of the content as they strive for mastery. If issues do arise, your account user would be the one to discuss this with. Options might include your contact person answering your questions, finding a teacher who could answer a content specific question, requesting peer assistance, or withdrawing from the course.

As a student, can I register on my own or do I have to do it through my school?

Students cannot register on their own. Accounts must be first set up by an online course account user. That person may then add students. Some unique situations may arise and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Who developed each of the courses?

All of these courses were developed by certified teachers with teaching experience in the specific subject area.

To whom do I turn in my work?

Your work is composed of notebook assignments and online tests. When taking your online tests you should print out hard copies at the end of each exam as documentation of your scores. You may then turn in completed work to your district or school contact person you arranged through meetings with your local school district. If your account user has set up the Deluxe testing program, they will also be able to log in online and see a record of all exams you have taken, the number of times you have taken them, and your scores.

Who grades my work?

The online testing built into each course will grade most of your work. The test scores will be displayed on-screen for you to print out and submit to your contact person/account user.

If I have a dispute over a grade to whom do I talk?

If you are a student, you would need to talk with your iclasses.org Online Course Account User (the person who registered you).

How do I choose which courses to take?

Once you are registered, you are free to access the online course content for all of our online courses, as well as the online exams.

Can I take more than one course at a time?

You can take as many courses at a time as you like.

As a teacher, can I use these courses legally and freely in my classroom?

Yes, with either the Classroom Account or the Classroom Teacher Account. The classroom account will allow the teacher to enroll up to 25 students to take online exams, while the classroom teacher account only allows the registering teacher to take online exams. We recommend the second method for teachers who want to use the course content and exam materials as supplements for traditional instruction, while the first method is a great way to get a classroom of students all working on the same online course material at the same time. We encourage all registered teachers to use these courses directly in their daily class lessons or as supplements to reinforce the learning process. You may not copy, alter, and distribute this material under another name or entity without the express written agreement of iclasses.org. All rights are reserved solely by iclasses.org.

Are there any books or supplies that I must have to complete these courses?

No, we have worked extremely hard to have all the resources you need to take the courses online as well. A few of the tasks may require you to access some material at your local school library but these will be very minimal.

What is to keep students from cheating on tests?

Cheating is an age-old problem which will always be an issue as long as we are human. iclasses.org has made every effort to minimize all forms of cheating. The online testing component is secure and password-protected to minimize this problem. For Deluxe testing accounts all instances of a student's access to the online tests are recorded in our database. For those students at risk of cheating we recommend that they take all online or other tests in front of a proctor or monitor.

If I use these courses in the classroom isn't this just letting students loose on the Internet? What is to keep kids from looking up inappropriate sites?

Students using these courses in a school facility will probably be using a computer with filtering software or a proxy server. They should also be under the basic supervision of a teacher or computer lab proctor who would oversee student work. If students are at home using their own computer without filtering software then the directions for each course should be followed and this will prevent them from straying from the course content. It should be realized that these courses are tools for learning and some students might stray from the course content and explore the Internet without proper supervision or filtering software.

What if one of the web links goes down? What do I use for the source of that material?

iclasses.org works very hard to keep all links active and current. If a link goes down please make us aware of this using the Contact Us page and we will correct it shortly. Web links are regularly monitored and replaced. In addition, most activities will have more than one website you can use for reference.

If I do badly on an assignment can I do it over?

This will depend on the school district contact person but in most cases you will not. Don't worry though. There are many assignments within a course that will allow you to improve your grade.

In the math courses, will I have to show my work?

In some areas you will.

To finish assignments, can I use sources beside the Internet?

Yes, we encourage this.

As a teacher, if I let two or three students use these courses in my class what will keep one student from going in and tampering with another's work?

Each student has a unique user name and password for taking the online tests. These tests are taken and then automatically scored. This secure and timely procedure prevents students from going in and tampering with others' work.

Even if I don't have to, is there a textbook I can get to go along with these courses?

Not at this time. These are the first courses using resources totally from the Internet.

Can the course be printed out?

Yes, but some courses are well over 200 pages if printed.

How do I use this material?

Anyone can use the courses as they are, just by visiting our website. There are many uses including supplemental instruction or as a support to daily class lessons. Students can use them alone for independent study, as with homebound education, or as students who are behind on credits because of a move.

I am not very computer literate. Can I still use these resources?

Yes. All you need is a computer with Internet access and you are ready. The courses are well-organized into units or chapters. Start at the beginning of each course and work your way through them until you have completed your last assignment and exam.

Are these courses geared toward students with disabilities?

We have attempted to provide a wide array of courses that serve all ability levels. Through the use of the courses' careful intuitive directions, the rich resources of the Internet, and visual aides contained on these courses we believe that students with disabilities will find them helpful and fun.

Why isn't this free anymore?

This project was funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Migrant Education for 5 years. That allowed us to sustain the high-level software and servers necessary to run the online course system without cost to the user. As our grant ends in June 2002, we are trying to keep these resources available to those who can best use them. To charge a modest fee for the use of our resources is the only way we will be able to continue to offer them.

Does it cost anything extra to get my grades?

There is a Deluxe testing option which allows your account user to look up and review your grades. If they wish, they may share that information with you, the student. Don't forget, you should also print out the results of every test you take online - that is a sure way you will have a complete record of your grades.

Are there certain times of the day or week I can work on the courses?

Thanks to technology and the Internet you can work on the courses at any time. Your account user/district contact person should also be available at certain times when you need help with the courses or an assignment.

For the science courses will I need any materials to do science projects?

All students who take sciences courses will need some very basic materials to which all schools or students would have easy affordable access. The courses were all designed to allow students to complete them using only these basic tools, a computer, the Internet, and your district contact person for help and assistance.

As a teacher, if I find a website that could be helpful should I let your staff know about it?

Please do. We will review each website submitted to us and determine if we can incorporate it into the existing courses.

Is there a teacher's guide to each course?

No, we intentionally omitted teacher's guides in the hope that the simple syllabi and layouts of the courses would be sufficient.

If I have a problem with the technology aspects of the course, whom do I contact?

Feel free to email us using the contact us form and we will try to get right back with you. A district level technology support person might also provide you help.

Will I have to go somewhere to take the tests?

Typically not; all testing is available online so you can take exams right at your computer. Some districts or programs may ask that you take the tests in the presence of an instructor. This will be the decision of those districts or programs.

If I am looking for websites on a certain subject is there a list of websites used for all subjects?

All websites used in the courses are placed directly into the content itself. If you would like to find a website specific to certain subject matter then please go to that course or use our built-in search engine to find material in our courses that will have relevant websites.

How can I be sure the information on the websites is accurate?

We have gone to great lengths to ensure accuracy by using reputable sites for course content. These sites and the Internet are changing on a daily basis so we will continue to monitor and replace sites that warrant this.

Will anyone else but my teacher and me be able to see my grades?

No, all automatically-generated grades from the online tests are held in strict confidence and kept secure on our iclasses.org servers.

Is this like a correspondence course where I have to have certain assignments done in a certain amount of time?

Each course has an estimated amount of time it should take to complete. We would recommend that these timelines be followed to make sure they are completed in a timely manner.

Why should I take the online courses?

The advantages to the courses are endless. Students can make up or take extra credits on their own time. Classes interrupted by a move can be finished without having to start over. Learning occurs anytime, anywhere. Teachers have quick and easy access to lesson plans, activities, and rich websites full of content. Teachers teaching a new subject matter for the first time can preview one of the courses to "brush up" on their knowledge of the material. The uses for this new type of learning tool will only extend the rich learning environment our students need to become well-rounded individuals.