Q1. How can I learn more about CareerForward®?
A. Explore all the sources of information at our website. In particular, use the links in the upper right corner of that page. The CareerForward Trailer provides a short overview of the course and also serves as a basic test of how the course will run on your computer and Internet connection.
Q2. What do I need to gain access and start teaching CareerForward?
A. CareerForward is available from MVU in two versions: MVU-hosted web-based course and school-hosted Blackboard/Moodle CMS. Each version is described in the PDF file and Adobe Acrobat Connect presentation links below.
Before deciding which version of the course to offer, check that your technical resources, such as the computers, software and Internet connection, are configured to support this course. See the Technical Requirements section below for more information.
Q3. I'm not a teacher or counselor. How may I gain access?
A. Visit the CareerForward distribution site for access information.
Q4. Is there a charge for using CareerForward?
A. No. CareerForward is available at no cost to all students.
Q5. Is teacher professional development available for CareerForward?
A. Yes. A CareerForward tutorial is available in Michigan LearnPort®. If you're a registered Michigan LearnPort user, login and locate the self-pace, one-hour tutorial in the course catalog. If you're not registered, visit Michigan LearnPort to register. The tutorial will guide you through the course both from a student and teacher viewpoint. You'll learn how to access the course, create an account and launch the course. You'll also discover the many teacher features, including activities and guides that you can use in the course with your students.
Q6. Is professional development recommended?
A. Yes. We highly recommend it because for most teachers the process of facilitating learning in a blended environment of online and in-person student learning will be a new experience. We anticipate that most teachers will find the professional development both helpful and enjoyable.
Q7. How much teacher involvement is needed in delivering CareerForward?
A. Students will gain the most benefit from CareerForward if their teacher is actively facilitating their learning. Note that CareerForward is different from some online courses in that the students are all from the same school. In this setting, the teacher has direct contact with all of his or her students, and can pick up on important questions or opportunities that arise from the online learning, as well as assist any students who are having any trouble with the course content. The professional development course devotes considerable attention to the nature and value of good facilitation of learning.
Teacher involvement is required by MDE if the course is offered for credit. Further information on the MDE Guidelines is available by viewing the PDFs below.
Q8. Could a student take CareerForward entirely on their own, and should they?
A. A web-based, non-Blackboard version of the course is available that doesn't require a teacher. This self-directed and self-paced version may be appropriate for individual exploration and learning outside the classroom. This approach works best if the student is motivated and adept as an independent learner. Please read the FAQ item How much teacher involvement is needed in delivering CareerForward?
Q9. What is the most important objective of CareerForward?
A. Our objective in CareerForward is to inspire students to become more strongly motivated to take charge of their own future. This foundation of individual initiative is then put into action through such steps as the completion of an Educational Development Plan at the end of the course.
Q10. What are the technical requirements for CareerForward?
A. The CareerForward course was designed to deliver high-quality multimedia content efficiently to students using Adobe Flash, which is now installed on over 95% of personal computers with access to the Internet. Due to imbedded audio files, students and teachers need a multimedia computer with headphones, and access to MVU servers, or your school's local installation of CareerForward. The most recent version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari is recommended. Remember, Flash must be installed to access the course components and Adobe Reader is needed to access imbedded documents..
Q11. Are there other local alternatives for accessing CareerForward?
A.In addition to the MVU-hosted versions, there is a third option available to schools with teachers who are already familiar with teaching using their schools existing course management system. MVU also provides the CareerForward course in a format that is compatible with certain course management systems. This locally-hosted version is designed for schools that already have their own managed installation of Blackboard Enterprise 7.X with the SCORM Course Player Building Block installed, or the Moodle 1.8.X course management system. For this option:
- MVU provides the certified course files and multimedia content; while the school provides all of the infrastructure, technical, student, teacher, and course support.
- For Moodle users, the Moodle version of the course parallels the certified Blackboard version of CareerForward.
- Schools must have experienced technical staff, their own Help Desk, and trained teachers for success with this self-hosted model. It is critically important that a school’s IT infrastructure be scaled to include adequate servers, memory, storage space, and network bandwidth to insure a good end-user experience based on the number of concurrent CareerForward students projected. Running a local version on a school’s own internal network will conserve Internet bandwidth for other uses in the school.
- MVU includes links to centrally hosted pre and post learning student surveys in the course, and schools who self-host must require their students to complete these surveys so that MVU can track and report student usage of CareerForward throughout Michigan.
- For all versions, Michigan schools are permitted to grant no cost access to Michigan students enrolled in
Q12. CareerForward uses myDreamExplorer, but our school uses another career planning system. Can we use that other system?
A. Yes. With CareerForward, there are exercises that require the use of a career planning tool to complete, including the creation of an electronic EDP, or educational development plan. However, schools are free to use any career planning tool of their choice with CareerForward, including Bridges, Career Cruising, or the MVU no-cost myDreamExplorer® application.
Q13. When using CareerForward do I also need a login and password for myDreamExplorer?
A. Yes. There's a process for obtaining the login and password for myDreamExplorer within the CareerForward course. Student access to myDreamExplorer with that login and password will be available for the remainder of the school year. If the school wishes longer access, they should contact the MVU Help Desk at 888.889.2840 or by emailing mivuhelp@mivu.org. If the school already has password information for students using myDreamExplorer, or the school wishes to establish long-term, repeated access to myDreamExplorer and the EDP, they should obtain password information through Michigan LearnPort at http://www.learnport.org.
Q14. I sometimes get an "Unable to Aquire LMS API " error when running CareerForward.
A. This error occurs when the Java Runtime Environment installed on your machine is not the current version. In order to fix this issue, download and install the latest version of JavaTM SE Runtime Environment by clicking here.
Q1. How can I learn more about CareerForward®?
A. Explore all the sources of information at our website. In particular, use the links in the upper right corner of that page. The CareerForward Trailer provides a short overview of the course and also serves as a basic test of how the course will run on your computer and Internet connection.
Q2. What do I need to gain access and start teaching CareerForward?
A. CareerForward is available from MVU in two versions: MVU-hosted web-based course and school-hosted Blackboard/Moodle CMS. Each version is described in the PDF file and Adobe Acrobat Connect presentation links below.
Before deciding which version of the course to offer, check that your technical resources, such as the computers, software and Internet connection, are configured to support this course. See the Technical Requirements section below for more information.
Q3. I'm not a teacher or counselor. How may I gain access?
A. Visit the CareerForward distribution site for access information.
Q4. Is there a charge for using CareerForward?
A. No. CareerForward is available at no cost to all students.
Q5. Is teacher professional development available for CareerForward?
A. Yes. A CareerForward tutorial is available in Michigan LearnPort®. If you're a registered Michigan LearnPort user, login and locate the self-pace, one-hour tutorial in the course catalog. If you're not registered, visit Michigan LearnPort to register. The tutorial will guide you through the course both from a student and teacher viewpoint. You'll learn how to access the course, create an account and launch the course. You'll also discover the many teacher features, including activities and guides that you can use in the course with your students.
Q6. Is professional development recommended?
A. Yes. We highly recommend it because for most teachers the process of facilitating learning in a blended environment of online and in-person student learning will be a new experience. We anticipate that most teachers will find the professional development both helpful and enjoyable.
Q7. How much teacher involvement is needed in delivering CareerForward?
A. Students will gain the most benefit from CareerForward if their teacher is actively facilitating their learning. Note that CareerForward is different from some online courses in that the students are all from the same school. In this setting, the teacher has direct contact with all of his or her students, and can pick up on important questions or opportunities that arise from the online learning, as well as assist any students who are having any trouble with the course content. The professional development course devotes considerable attention to the nature and value of good facilitation of learning.
Teacher involvement is required by MDE if the course is offered for credit. Further information on the MDE Guidelines is available by viewing the PDFs below.
Q8. Could a student take CareerForward entirely on their own, and should they?
A. A web-based, non-Blackboard version of the course is available that doesn't require a teacher. This self-directed and self-paced version may be appropriate for individual exploration and learning outside the classroom. This approach works best if the student is motivated and adept as an independent learner. Please read the FAQ item How much teacher involvement is needed in delivering CareerForward?
Q9. What is the most important objective of CareerForward?
A. Our objective in CareerForward is to inspire students to become more strongly motivated to take charge of their own future. This foundation of individual initiative is then put into action through such steps as the completion of an Educational Development Plan at the end of the course.
Q10. What are the technical requirements for CareerForward?
A. The CareerForward course was designed to deliver high-quality multimedia content efficiently to students using Adobe Flash, which is now installed on over 95% of personal computers with access to the Internet. Due to imbedded audio files, students and teachers need a multimedia computer with headphones, and access to MVU servers, or your school's local installation of CareerForward. The most recent version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari is recommended. Remember, Flash must be installed to access the course components and Adobe Reader is needed to access imbedded documents..
Q11. Are there other local alternatives for accessing CareerForward?
A.In addition to the MVU-hosted versions, there is a third option available to schools with teachers who are already familiar with teaching using their schools existing course management system. MVU also provides the CareerForward course in a format that is compatible with certain course management systems. This locally-hosted version is designed for schools that already have their own managed installation of Blackboard Enterprise 7.X with the SCORM Course Player Building Block installed, or the Moodle 1.8.X course management system. For this option:
- MVU provides the certified course files and multimedia content; while the school provides all of the infrastructure, technical, student, teacher, and course support.
- For Moodle users, the Moodle version of the course parallels the certified Blackboard version of CareerForward.
- Schools must have experienced technical staff, their own Help Desk, and trained teachers for success with this self-hosted model. It is critically important that a school’s IT infrastructure be scaled to include adequate servers, memory, storage space, and network bandwidth to insure a good end-user experience based on the number of concurrent CareerForward students projected. Running a local version on a school’s own internal network will conserve Internet bandwidth for other uses in the school.
- MVU includes links to centrally hosted pre and post learning student surveys in the course, and schools who self-host must require their students to complete these surveys so that MVU can track and report student usage of CareerForward throughout Michigan.
- For all versions, Michigan schools are permitted to grant no cost access to Michigan students enrolled in
Q12. CareerForward uses myDreamExplorer, but our school uses another career planning system. Can we use that other system?
A. Yes. With CareerForward, there are exercises that require the use of a career planning tool to complete, including the creation of an electronic EDP, or educational development plan. However, schools are free to use any career planning tool of their choice with CareerForward, including Bridges, Career Cruising, or the MVU no-cost myDreamExplorer® application.
Q13. When using CareerForward do I also need a login and password for myDreamExplorer?
A. Yes. There's a process for obtaining the login and password for myDreamExplorer within the CareerForward course. Student access to myDreamExplorer with that login and password will be available for the remainder of the school year. If the school wishes longer access, they should contact the MVU Help Desk at 888.889.2840 or by emailing mivuhelp@mivu.org. If the school already has password information for students using myDreamExplorer, or the school wishes to establish long-term, repeated access to myDreamExplorer and the EDP, they should obtain password information through Michigan LearnPort at http://www.learnport.org.
Q14. I sometimes get an "Unable to Aquire LMS API " error when running CareerForward.
A. This error occurs when the Java Runtime Environment installed on your machine is not the current version. In order to fix this issue, download and install the latest version of JavaTM SE Runtime Environment by clicking here.