Work with your Course Support team to designate a time and place for students to connect to their online courses.

Knowing when, where, and how they will connect to the online course will help students plan and strategize for productive work time. Here are a few recommended models that schools have used.

Class period. An on-site class period (before, during, or after school) scheduled in a computer lab allows students to make best use of their class time by logging into the course, downloading materials that can be completed offline and outside of school (reading, etc.), and completing components that can only be accessed with a computer.

At-home connection. An at-home connection enables students to access their online courses 24/7, which helps them progress through course content at their own pace. Whether your students are accessing classes exclusively from home (e.g., homeschooled students) or accessing them from school and home, please alert families to the following:

• Home computers maintained by the family must meet baseline tech requirements, course-specific technology requirements, supplemental materials, and downloads..
• Families should run test-logins via the Start-Up Demo Accounts prior to enrollment to make sure the online course can be accessed.

Tech help. Students can seek technical help from the:

• Building technologists during the school day.
• Course provider's tech-help service during their business hours.

When seeking help, students should sit at the computer where they are encountering problems, whether that be at school or at home.

Community access. Computing resource centers, libraries, and cyber cafés are good—though typically less reliable or available—locations for students to access components of their online courses.