The EBUS Grade 10-12 Course Experience
EBUS is a public school in School District #91, Nechako Lakes
EBUS Academy is a BC Ministry of Education designated Provincial On-Line School serving full time students, cross-enrollers and adult students. We have an amazing selection of courses to choose from to help you meet the needs of your graduation plan.
Each course has a dedicated BC certified teacher and subject specialist
For participants that satisfy the Online Learning Policy – BC Residency, the courses are FREE of charge.
Key points
- Parent / Guardian are BC residents
- Student is working, primarily withing BC (there may be exceptions)
Is Online Learning Right for me?
If you can answer the majority of the following questions with ‘Yes’ then Online learning will likely be a good fit for you.
- I have time and will schedule my EBUS courses into my daily routine
- I have a trusted adult (Parent, teacher) that I can connect with… in addition to my online teacher
- I do not need face to face instruction/ teaching to learn – learn well in other modes
- I I can work independently to read / watch lessons and to start my assignments
- am open to and pay attention to teacher feedback
- I will connect with my teachers (email, phone, video call)
- When unsure of what to do
- When I cannot access my course
- When I am struggling with assignments
- I know how to upload saved documents
- I have Microsoft Word or I know how to produce PDF files for uploading
Who takes EBUS courses?
- Student who are designated and have an Individualized Education Program – IEP
- Students wanting to Upgrade courses
- Students wanting to make room in their schedule for courses of interest at their home school
- Athletes looking to accommodate training schedules
- Actors/Actresses/Dancers looking to accommodate performance and training schedules
- Students who need more time ( than a semester to show their best work
- Students looking to graduate early
- Adults (18 yrs and older) looking to earn a Dogwood diploma
- Adults looking to upgrade or add post secondary prerequisites
When do I start? How quickly can I finish a course? How long do I have to complete?
EBUS Regular Session runs from September to June. Students will not be able to start a new course during May and June and some courses may be at capacity by Spring Break.
All EBUS courses are ‘asynchronous’ meaning:
- you start as soon as you are registered
- you set your schedule
- you work through the course at your own pace
With students working at ‘their own pace’ they may be able to progress through course materials very quickly. Teacher interaction / communication is essential to student success as is acting on assignment feedback and assessment results. Teachers have many students and these interactions / processes take time, as such it is not possible, under normal circumstances, to complete a course in less than 2 months.
Students who are actively engaged with their teachers and course work will have at least 12 months to complete.
** EBUS teachers do not work weekends, winter break or spring break and during the summer break courses will be on pause.
Will I have a teacher? Where are my lessons? How do I submit work?
Teacher information and courses can be accessed through the Student Dashboard which is the first stop students will have after logging in at my.ebus.ca.
Every EBUS course is taught by a BC Certified teacher and subject specialist
- Read your teacher’s ‘about me’ information to get to know them
- Make note of how you can connect with them and when they are available
We currently have 2 Learning management systems (LMS):
- Moodle
- Brightspace
Both are easy to navigate and will run just fine through your internet browser (Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari …).
Students will submit work within their courses by:
- Typing in text directly within the assignment
- Submitting orally using the voice app withing Brightspace
- Completing online activities within the LMS like quizzes or matching activities
- Uploading work done offline (MS word or PDF’s format) within the LMS
What happens if I fall behind, find myself struggling or need to take a break from my on-line course?
We recommend prioritizing communication with the teacher as the first action students / parents take. EBUS teachers are available to help you and will do their best to individualize your learning experience.
- When students are actively participating (submitting work, communicating with teachers) they will have up to 12 months to complete.
- Online Gentle Email Reminders (OGRES)
- Students not actively participating will receive Online Gentle Email Reminders
- Submitting and having an assignment marked will reset the OGRE process
- After 6 consecutive weeks of inactivity students will receive a final OGRE email and may be withdrawn from the course
- If ‘life events’ get in the way of completing your EBUS course please connect with your online teacher ASAP and they will work with you to create a pathway and timeline for success.
Where do I write invigilated tests and assignments?
Academic Integrity is essential for all Provincial online schools and at EBUS the invigilation process is an important part of ensuring the credibility of our program. For more information on Assessment and Student Integrity at EBUS please click here.
EBUS has its own team of approved ‘online invigilators’.
Forms will be available within your course which you can use to request an invigilated test.
- Look ahead in your course and request your invigilation at least 1 week prior to the date you want to write.
- Once your teacher has approved your request, they will then forward it to an EBUS invigilator.
- Next the invigilator will connect directly with you to confirm date / time.
Preparing for your online invigilation:
- Prepare a quiet / private space – preferably a room with a door you can close
- Have a computer with working camera:
- camera should have you in the view and the door or exit in the background
- You will be asked to scan the room with your video before the exam and during if the invigilator requests
Students with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) that allows for testing accommodations should communicate with their EBUS teacher who will help make accommodations happen.
How will I get my marks and learning updates?
(guardians, ‘home’ school, or post secondary institutions)
When students first login at EBUS they will land on the ‘Dashboard’ and have access to:
- Courses
- An overview of grades and percent of course complete
- Planned completion dates
- Assignment timelines
- Learning Updates
- Current detailed Progress reports for each course
Parents / Guardians
- An overview of grades and percent of course complete
- Planned completion dates
- Assignment timelines
- Learning Updates
- Current detailed Progress reports for each course
- 3 Learning Updates will be written each year (November, March, and June) for the regular session, and one for the summer session (September).
- Reminder emails will be sent to parents / guardians when reports are available.
Will EBUS honour my IEP (Individualized Education Plan)
Absolutely!
At EBUS we work with 100’s of ‘inclusive education’ learners and we pride ourselves on being able to personalize the learning experience.
Students with IEP’s should ensure that a copy is on file with EBUS when registering.
The keys to success
- Schedule a regular time and place to work on your EBUS course(s)
- Have a trusted adult to connect with for support in addition to your online teacher
- Read course outlines and teacher information before starting your first assignment.
- Communicate with your online teacher, they are real and are there to support you!
- Create a timeline for completion.
- Make note of tests, projects and any big assignments.
Academic Advisor
Set up an interview with our Academic Advisor using the link below.
Grades 10-12 – Leal Baumann and Chris Mushumanski
EBUS Advisor
The EBUS Course Description Booklet gives information about each course.
The EBUS Course Planning Sheet is a planning tool.