Q Why should I take an online course through MVS?
A You could catch up on missed credit, take a subject not offered in-seat (including Advanced Placement® courses), improve your technology skills, get around a scheduling conflict, try a different method of learning or supplement your learning activities if you are home-schooled or are temporarily home-bound.
Q What else can I do through MVS?
A Online career development tools can help tie your interests to career choices and help you pick classes that get you where you want to go.
Q Can I enroll myself in MVS courses?
A No. Only the appropriate person at your school (your guidance counselor or your school’s registrar, most likely) may register and enroll you in an MVS course. MVS students must be age 20 or younger.
Q Are MVS courses for credit
A Each semester of an MVS course is designed to count as a half-credit, but your school ultimately decides on the amount of credit granted. Credit comes through your school, not MVS.
Q Do I take the course on my own time or school time?
A Many schools have students take their online course during a regular school period, maybe in a computer lab or media center. In other cases, you may be accessing your course outside of regular school hours, especially if you are making up credit or have a scheduling conflict. Even if you have time during the school day to work on your virtual course, you’ll probably still need to access the course outside of regular school hours for homework, just as you do for most of your in-seat courses.
Q So, do I need a computer at home?
A It’s highly recommended. If you don’t have a computer with Internet access at home, you could try the public library.
Q What are the technical requirements?
A A fast, reliable Internet connection is one of the basic requirements for taking Michigan Virtual School courses.
Q Is there a teacher?
A Yes. All MVS online courses have an online instructor.
Q Will I need to be online at the same time as my teacher?
A No. When you log in to your class, you’ll see the assignment and instructions your teacher has left for you. You’ll communicate through email and message boards mostly, but don’t rule out the telephone. Your teacher will let you know how to communicate. There may be specific times set up for chat rooms or instant messaging, either with your teacher or with other students, but your teacher will let you know if that’s the case.
Q What about assignments, quizzes, tests, etc.?
A Most courses will have quizzes and tests. Some courses will have many assignments and assessments throughout the course; others will culminate in one overall course project. Some tests may be proctored (i.e., taken at your school with a teacher or proctor present). The course descriptions and your instructor will let you know what is expected of you.
Q How many MVS courses can I take at a time?
A According to the Michigan Department of Education, you are limited to two off-site online courses during a single semester. However, online courses that are taken on-site at the school during the school day (say, in a lab or media center) are treated just the same as any other on-site course. There may be certain exceptions to the two-course limit set on online courses taken off-site, such as for medical reasons.
Q How is my final grade determined?
A You complete all course work within the allotted time and receive your final point score from your online instructor. Your mentor translates the point score into a course grade, according to your school’s guidelines.
Q What if I need to withdraw from a course?
A Some withdrawals can’t be helped, but many are due to communication or technical stuff MVS might be able to fix — if we know about it. Before telling your mentor you want to drop the course, have him or her contact MVS (or you can get in touch with MVS yourself) at the MVS Help Desk or 888.889.2840, to see if the problem is “fixable.”
Q Speaking of help, what other kind of help can I get if I’m having trouble?
A If the trouble is related to course content, contact your online instructor for help. If the trouble seems to be technical, contact your mentor (who will probably call in your school’s technical support person or team to correct the problem). If you’re having any other kind of difficulty, talk to your mentor.
Q I don’t have my password and ID yet. How do I get them?
A Contact your mentor for your password and ID.
Q Where do I go to log into my class?
A Your mentor teacher will let you know the name and type of course you are taking. Then go to the Student Login page and click on the correct link to get to your login area.
Q OK, I tried the password and ID I was given and it doesn’t work. What gives?
A Call the MVS Help Desk at 888.889.2840 or email the Help Desk at mivuhelp@mivu.org for assistance.
Q I don’t have my book(s) or materials for my course yet. How do I get them?
A If materials aren’t provided with the course, your school should have ordered them for you. Some courses don’t have a book or additional materials other than what’s on the course website. Contact your mentor to inquire about books or materials for your course.
Q I’m having problems accessing my course. It keeps crashing or I get error messages. Help!
A Start by asking your mentor or your online teacher for help. In a pinch, you could try the following:
- If the course provider is Apex Learning, email support@apexlearning.com or call toll-free 800.453.6227.
- For all other MVS courses, call the MVS Help Desk at 888.889.2840 or email them at mivuhelp@mivu.org.
Q How hard are MVS AP courses?
A MVS AP courses are challenging and designed to be very similar in difficulty to AP courses you'd take at your school. These are essentially college-level courses and will require most students to spend about 10 hours a week on the coursework, much of which will be done off-line.
Q Am I a good candidate for online AP courses?
A Are you a self-starter? Do you work well independently? You’ll have greater freedom and schedule flexibility in an AP online course than in a traditional classroom, so you must be ready to assume more responsibility for your own progress and exhibit a high level of discipline and drive. You also must have superior writing skills since writing assignments focus on developing the ability to critically analyze and discuss issues in coherent and well-written paragraphs.
Q Do MVS AP teachers have office hours?
A Teachers will answer email and return telephone calls daily, and at their own discretion may establish regular times to be online.
Q Do MVS AP courses have prerequisites?
A Many do. The specific course prerequisites are included in the individual course descriptions in the Course Catalog.
Q Do MVS AP courses use textbooks?
A Yes. For some courses, a text is required; for others, it’s recommended. Some courses require or recommend other materials, as well. Texts and materials will be detailed in the course description.
Q How long does it take to go through one AP Exam Review subject?
A That’s hard to say because AP Exam Review gives you lots of different ways to use the tool. You could take a diagnostic pre-test to find out what you need to study on a topic-by-topic basis, and then use the recommended practice questions, tutorials, and self-checks to follow through. Or, you could go directly to the free-response and multiple-choice questions, compare your work with the answers, and then decide where to concentrate your review. You might just choose to review the exam topics, determine your own trouble spots, and then study all the relevant course material. The amount of time you take is really up to you.
Q If I haven’t taken an AP course, may I still use AP Exam Review to prepare for College Board AP Exams?
A Yes. Of course, students who have already taken or are currently taking an AP course, either online or in-seat, will probably get the most from AP Exam Review.
Q Is the fee for taking College Board AP Exams included with the purchase of AP Exam Review?
A No, because MVS does not administer the AP Exam. To take AP Exams, your school makes arrangements with The College Board and the Educational Testing Service.
Q What kind of help is available if I’m having trouble with AP Exam Review?
A If the trouble is technical and related to the computer set-up at the school, your designated technical support person is the place to start. If not, you can start with the MVS Help Desk at mivuhelp@mivu.org or 888.889.2840.
Q How is it possible to learn a world language over the Internet?
A MVS world languages courses require your computer to be equipped with both a microphone and speakers or headphones. In addition to text and visual instruction, you will hear the language spoken through your speakers (headphones) and will “turn in” spoken word assignments through your microphone (using an audio format like a .wav file) to your instructor.