mil student handbook

8/2/2019 MIL Student Handbook

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StudentsPolicies & Procedures

Handbook


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TableofContentsTableofContents.........................................................................................................................................2

MiddleburyInteractiveLanguages..............................................................................................................4

MILMissionStatement............................................................................................................................4

AfterRegistration.....................................................................................................................................5

TextbooksandInstructionalMaterials....................................................................................................5

TechnicalRequirements..........................................................................................................................5

ComputerSpecifications..........................................................................................................................6

CompetencyandFluencyCourses...............................................................................................................7

LoggingintoCompetencyandFluencyCourses......................................................................................7

CompetencyandFluencyCourseTutorials..............................................................................................8

Announcements.......................................................................................................................................8

Communication........................................................................................................................................8

StartingYourCourseWork......................................................................................................................9

ConversationCafes..................................................................................................................................9

CheckingYourGrades..............................................................................................................................9

PowerspeakCoursesonPGLMS................................................................................................................11

LoggingintoPowerspeakCoursesonPGLMS.......................................................................................11PowerspeakCourseTutorials................................................................................................................11

MessagesandAnnouncements.............................................................................................................12

Communication......................................................................................................................................12

StartingYourCourseWork....................................................................................................................12

ConversationCafes................................................................................................................................12

CheckingYourGrades............................................................................................................................12

ManagingYourOnlineCourse...................................................................................................................14

TimeManagement................................................................................................................................. 14

PacingGuidelines...................................................................................................................................14

RetakingofAssignments........................................................................................................................14

LateSubmissions....................................................................................................................................15

StudentGrades......................................................................................................................................15

CreditandTranscripts............................................................................................................................15

GradingScale.........................................................................................................................................16


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CodeofConduct&AcceptableUsePolicy.................................................................................................17

StudentConduct....................................................................................................................................17

AcademicIntegrityandUseofTranslators............................................................................................17

UseofCopyrightedMaterials................................................................................................................18

Plagiarism............................................................................................................................................... 18

SourceCitation.......................................................................................................................................19

MonitoringE-mailandotherMaterial..................................................................................................19

AcceptableUsePolicy............................................................................................................................19

Netiquette..................................................................................................................................................22

NetiquetteStandards.............................................................................................................................22


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MiddleburyInteractiveLanguages

Welcome to Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL)! You have joined other

students throughout the United States who are taking interesting and challengingworld language online courses. And although you will be in an online class withothers, MIL views you as an individual learner who will find support withappropriate pacing, go further into the mastery of content that is of particularacademic and career interest and study with students from other regions and

backgrounds. You will value these experiences as well as the personal attention youreceive from your online teachers.

MILMissionStatement

To offer access and opportunity for all students to gain culturally-authentic reading,writing, listening and speaking skills that students will need to become college- andcareer-ready in a 21st-century global marketplace.


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AfterRegistrationIf you are enrolled through a school, your school should provide you with the followinginformation after your enrollment has been processed

- course information- course beginning and ending dates (if applicable)- your username and password to log into your course

If you have enrolled through the website, you will receive an automatic email with the following:

- your username and password to log into your course- instructions on how to get started on your course

During the week that MIL courses begin you will also receive an email from your online teacherwith specific course information.

TextbooksandInstructionalMaterialsYou will not need any textbook for your class. You may use an online or hard copy dictionary tolook up words, but may not use online translators to do word-for word translations of activities.

TechnicalRequirementsStudents in MIL courses need regular access to an internet-connected computer, as well as accessto various types of software and/or hardware. Because these courses are available to students onthe Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you have the option of working from school, alibrary, or from home.

If you are taking MIL courses as part of your regular school day, your school or district willprovide technical support for the computer hardware and software you are using to complete yourcoursework.

If you are taking MIL courses from another location (such as your home), you or yourparent/guardian must bear the responsibility for obtaining needed technical support.

You can send and receive messages with your teacher through your course. It is yourresponsibility to check your email regularly to see if you have messages from your MIL teacher.


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ComputerSpecificationsPC:

Pentium III 1GHz or betterWindows XP or newer512 MB RAM256kbps DSL or better.

Display resolution 1280x800 recommended (1024x768 minimum)Sound cardFirefox 3.5 or newer recommended; Internet Explorer 7.0Flash Player plugin (10.0 or better) Go to www.adobe.com

Cookies enabledJavascript enabledHeadset/Microphone (MIL recommends: RadioShack Cyber Acoustics AC-201 Stereo Headsetwith Microphone (Model: AC-201 | Catalog #: 55010858)

MACINTOSH:

Power Mac G4 processor or betterOSX512 MB RAM256kbps DSL or better.

Display resolution 1280x800 recommended (1024x768 minimum)Sound cardFirefox 3.5 or newer recommended; SafariFlash Player plugin (10.0 or better) Go to www.adobe.comJavascript enabledHeadset/Microphone (MIL recommends: RadioShack Cyber Acoustics AC-201 Stereo Headsetwith Microphone (Model: AC-201 | Catalog #: 55010858)

*Please note that a slow internet connection will affect the performance of multimedia elements

found in language courses.

To Contact the Help Desk:Email [email protected] or dial toll-free 800-596-0910


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CompetencyandFluencyCourses(Note: Please see Powerspeak Courses for information if you are enrolled in a Powerspeakcourse.)

LoggingintoCompetencyandFluencyCoursesOpen the internet browser and type in the address bar and type in your username and password.

After successfully logging in, go to the home page and click on your course.


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CompetencyandFluencyCourseTutorialsAn interactive student tutorial introduction to Competency and Fluency courses is available at thebeginning of your course under view.

AnnouncementsAnnouncements can be seen above the name of your course. Your teacher will update thisannouncement at least once a week in order to keep you informed of upcoming deadlinesactivities. Be sure to read the announcements carefully and contact your teacher if you have anyquestions!

CommunicationYour teacher will contact you at the beginning of the course, and your teacher will expect you tomaintain prompt and frequent communication and interaction. You will be able to find yourteachers contact information and their website in the welcome announcement.


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StartingYourCourseWorkAfter you have received an email from your teacher, he/she will begin to guide you through thecourse. In general, your teacher will provide you with a pacing guide and due dates that you need

to follow as you complete the course work. You need to follow this pacing guide closely. You canwork ahead of the pacing guide AS LONG AS your teacher approves.

ConversationCafesAll Spanish, French, German and Chinese middle and high school students will attendConversation Caf, or oral proficiency, sessions and their oral performance will be assessed as partof their overall class average.

CheckingYourGradesInside your course, click on gradebook on the top panel to see your grades. This page allows youto monitor your progress as your teacher posts all grades here for you to view.


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The total number of points you have earned to date is displayed in the Final Grade button on thetop panel. You may compare your points to the total number of points possible in the course.Check frequently to keep abreast of your progress.


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PowerspeakCoursesonPGLMS(Note: Please see Competency and Fluency Courses for information if you are enrolled in aCompetency or Fluency course.)

LoggingintoPowerspeakCoursesonPGLMSOpen the internet browser and type in the address barwww.pglms.com. Type in your usernameand password.

PowerspeakCourseTutorialsAn interactive student tutorial introduction to the Powerspeak course is available at the beginning

of your course under view. If you are not familiar with Powerspeak courses, it is stronglyrecommended that you follow this tutorial.


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MessagesandAnnouncementsWhen you login to the Powerspeak course on PGLMS, you will see the message icon. If it isflashing orange, there is an announcement for you. If it is flashing red, there is an urgent

announcement for you and it needs your immediate attention. You will not be able to go to thecalendar until you have read the urgent message. Your teacher will update this announcement atleast once a week in order to keep you informed of upcoming deadlines activities. Be sure to readthe announcements carefully and contact your teacher if you have any questions!

MessagewaitingforyouUrgentmessagewaitingforyou

CommunicationYour teacher will contact you at the beginning of the course, and your teacher will expect you tomaintain prompt and frequent communication and interaction. You will be able to find yourteachers contact information and their website in the welcome announcement.

StartingYourCourseWorkAfter you have received an email from your teacher, he/she will begin to guide you through thecourse. In general, your teacher will provide you with a pacing guide and due dates that you needto follow as you complete the course work. You need to follow this pacing guide closely. You canwork ahead of the pacing guide AS LONG AS your teacher approves you working ahead.

ConversationCafesAll Spanish, French, German and Chinese middle and high school students will attendConversation Caf, or oral proficiency, sessions and their oral performance will be assessed as partof their overall class average.

CheckingYourGradesInside your course, click on gradebook on the top panel to see your grades. This page allows youto monitor your progress as your teacher posts all grades here for you to view.


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ManagingYourOnlineCourseTimeManagement

Online courses require serious commitment from you, the student. They require self-motivation,for often there is no one bearing down on whether you log in or complete an assignment or not.Online learning allows you the flexibility of working at your own pace; however, it requires timemanagement. You should plan to schedule 10 -15 hours a weekworking in each course. Try toreview and/or submit work on a daily basis. Contact your teacher if you have any concerns,questions, or need help. Try the calendar template in the section below for creating a schedule forstudy.

PacingGuidelinesImportant note: You are expected to spend at least as much time in a MIL course as you

spend in each class during your school day. This includes time spent doing homework. If youare a student who works on online courses as part of your face to face school day and you do

not finish your online assignment in class, you may be expected to complete it at home.

NON AP Courses: If you have not logged in for 72 hours, or if you fall to 70% or below onan end of the week assessment (PGLMS), your teacher will message you inside the coursewith "email" checked each day for up to three days. If no response is forthcoming from youwithin 24 hours of the third message, your teacher will escalate the problem to the MILadministrative team who will contact your school or parents or both.

AP Courses: If you have not logged in for 48 hours, or if you fall to 70% or below on anend of the week assessment(PGLMS)/end of week average for AP French, your teacher will

message you inside the course with "email" checked each day for up to two days. If noresponse is forthcoming from you within 24 hours of the third message, your teacher willescalate the problem to the MIL administrative team who will contact your school or parentsor both.

RetakingofAssignmentsReopening of assignments occurs at online teacher's discretion, subject to the following guidelines:

Taking into consideration pacing, grade, effort and end date of thecourse the onlineteacher will make the final decision on which assignments a student may retake.

Teachers may limit the number of retakes that students may submit.

Teachers will present their policies on reopening assignments on their websites and in theirwelcome messages to students.

Adherence to reasonable pacing parameters may or may not take precedence over local schoolpolicies on retakes.


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LateSubmissionsAcceptance of late student submissions is subject to the individual teachers policy. Teachersmust present their policies on their websites and in their welcome messages to students.

Teachers may limit the number of late submissions they will accept from individual students.

StudentGradesStudents receive frequent, timely feedback on homework assignments, tests and quizzes, projectsand participation, as well as other activities as assigned by the MIL teacher. Information aboutstudents progress is available through the online gradebook. By reviewing the gradebookregularly, parents and counselors can help students meet their goals. In addition, schools canarrange to have regular progress reports sent from MIL to the school contact.

Depending on the teachers pacing guide, any work that should have been completed by the duedate but has not been turned in may become a 0. Your teacher may enter these 0s in thegradebook by midterm and final exam periods.

CreditandTranscriptsMiddlebury Interactive Languages (MIL) may grant credit and issue an official transcript tostudents completing Course + Credit + Teacher course; MIL does not award credit or a transcriptto students who complete a Course Only course.

MINIMUM CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:

To qualify for a transcript the student must meet the minimum requirements for earning credit. Theminimum requirements include:

Completing 60% of the total possible points showing on the progress bar

Participating in the mid-term and final exams

Completing course with a passing final grade of 60% or higherNOTE: If the student has not met the above minimum requirements, no transcript willbe issued.

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST:To receive a transcript, the student must send notification of course completion by submitting awritten request to [email protected]. The student must provide the following

information: Name

Title of the completed course

Date of course completion

Address to which the transcript should be mailedSEALED TRANSCRIPTS:Parents and studentsDo NOT open your transcripts if you are going to be sending them to anacademic institution. Please note that ONLY sealed transcripts are considered official documents.


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TRANSCRIPT TIMELINE and COST:Delivered within two to three weeks of request.1st transcript FREE. $5 per extra transcript

The following units of credit are offered:

.25 = one semester middle school course.5 = one semester high school course; one yearlong middle school course1 = one yearlong high school course.

GradingScaleThe grading scale that will appear on MIL treanscripts is below. Note: Local schools mayoverride the letter/percentage equivalents:

90-100:A

80-89:B

70-79:C

60-69:D 0--59:


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CodeofConduct&AcceptableUsePolicyAs a Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL) student, you are subject to the rules and restrictionsimplemented by your school and the Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Policy. This document describes the policies and guidelines for the use of the MIL courses and exists toensure that all MIL students are aware of and understand their responsibilities when accessing andusing MIL resources.

MIL reserves the right to update or alter this agreement at any time. Such revisions maysubstantially alter access to MIL instructional resources.

As a student enrolled in MIL courses, you should be aware of the following guidelines andexpectations. Any activity that is not listed here, which violates local, state, or federal laws, isconsidered a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy.

Failure to follow these guidelines could result in the:

removal of your access to MIL instructional resources

your removal from the course

restriction from social networking anywhere in the MIL system

involvement with law enforcement agencies and possible legal action.

StudentConductRespect for the law and for those persons in authority shall be expected of all students. Thisincludes conformity to your school rules as well as general provisions of law affecting students.Respect for the rights of others, consideration of their privileges, and cooperative citizenship shallalso be expected of all members of the school community.

Respect for real and personal property; pride in one's work; achievement within the range of one'sability; and exemplary personal standards of courtesy, decency, and honesty shall be maintained inMIL courses.

AcademicIntegrityandUseofTranslatorsAll work submitted must be the original work of the student. The use of digital, printed, orlive translators is strictly forbidden. Students are responsible for observing the standardson plagiarism and properly crediting all sources relied on in the composition of their work.Failure to abide by these standards will result in the following consequences:

1. First offense Student will receive a 0 and the opportunity to redo the work for 75% ofthe full grade.

2. Second offense Student will receive a 0 and no opportunity for retakes.3. Additional offenses Teacher will suspend grading and escalate the issue to the

Director of Online Instruction.


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Here are some guidelines for completing assessments and assignments:

UseofCopyrightedMaterialsAll materials in the courses are copyrighted and provided for the exclusive use by enrolledstudents. Enrolled students may print or photocopy material from the website for their own use butdistribution to others is prohibited unless expressly noted. Unauthorized copying or distributionmay result in revoked access to course(s) and disciplinary action.

Users shall not upload, download, transmit or post copyrighted software or copyrighted materialssuch as MIL curriculum, materials protected by trade secrets or other protections. This includescopyrighted graphics of cartoon characters or other materials found that may appear to be non-copyright protected. Unauthorized copying or distribution may result in revoked access tocourse(s) and disciplinary action.

PlagiarismPlagiarism is the act of submitting someone elses work as your own original, creative production.If you use another persons writing or original work, you must cite their words using an

appropriate manuscript style in the Works Cited page, Endnotes, or in a Bibliography. The exactwording should be in quotation marks or paraphrased in the paper and referenced as such in theparagraph in which it appears. You may not copy and paste directly from the Internet withoutgiving appropriate credit to the author. Plagiarism is a serious academic violation. Plagiarism mayresult in no credit and will also be considered as a disciplinary issue and may result in removalfrom MIL courses.


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SourceCitationMany courses require written work in which you will need to cite sources. Any direct quotationsfrom your textbook can simply be cited as (Author, Page Number). Any quotations from outside

sources require full citations, including author, title, publisher, date of publication, and pagenumber. If you're citing information found on a Web site, provide the complete Web page or sitetitle, URL, author if known, page number if applicable, and publication date of the site, ifavailable.

MonitoringE-mailandotherMaterialMIL reserves the right to review any material transmitted using MIL instructional computingresources or posted to an MIL instructional computing resource to determine the appropriatenessof such material. MIL may review this material at any time, with or without notice. E-mailtransmitted to MIL is not private and may be monitored.

AcceptableUsePolicyYou understand that all information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics,video, messages, tags or other materials ("User Content"), whether publicly posted or privatelytransmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from which such User Content originated.This means that you and not MIL are entirely responsible for all User Content that you upload,post, email, transmit or otherwise make available via the Services.MIL does not control the UserContent posted via the Services and, as such, does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or qualityof such User Content. Under no circumstances will MIL be liable in any way for any UserContent, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any User Content, or for any loss

or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any User Content posted, emailed,transmitted or otherwise made available via the Services.

By posting information in or otherwise using any interactive service that may be available to youon or through the Services, you agree that you will not upload, post, or otherwise distribute orfacilitate distribution of any contentincluding text, communications, software, images, sounds,data, or other informationthat:

Could be harmful to minors; is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous,deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another's privacy, tortious, contains explicit or graphicdescriptions or accounts of sexual acts (including but not limited to sexual language of a violent or

threatening nature directed at another individual or group of individuals), uses vulgar language inthe creation of a username, or otherwise violates these Terms or any applicable School policy;

Victimizes, harasses, degrades, or intimidates an individual or group of individuals on the basis ofreligion, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, or disability;

Infringes on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, right of publicity, or other proprietaryright of any party;


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Constitutes unauthorized or unsolicited advertising, junk or bulk e-mail (also known as"spamming"), chain letters, any other form of unauthorized solicitation, solicits passwords orpersonally identifiable information, or any form of lottery or gambling, sweepstakes oradvertising;

Disrupts the normal flow of dialogue, cause a screen to "scroll" faster than other users of theServices are able to type, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users' ability toengage in real time exchanges where available;

Interferes with or disrupts the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services, ordisobeys any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to theServices;

Provides material support or resources (or to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, orownership of material support or resources) to any organization(s) designated by the United Statesgovernment as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and

Nationality Act; stalks" or otherwise harasses another;

Contains software viruses or any other computer code, files, or programs that are designed orintended to disrupt, damage, or limit the functioning of any software, hardware, ortelecommunications equipment or to damage or obtain unauthorized access to any data or otherinformation of any third party; or impersonates any person or entity, including but not limited toany employee or representative of MIL. You also agree that you will not harvest or collectinformation about the users or Users of the Services or use such information for the purpose oftransmitting or facilitating transmission of unsolicited bulk electronic e-mail or communications.

You further agree that you will not knowingly solicit or collect personal information from a minor

(anyone under 18 years old) without appropriate prior verifiable parental consent. Personalinformation includes but is not limited to name, address, phone number, or name of their school.

MIL generally does not pre-screen, monitor, edit or remove User Content. MIL and its agents,however, have the right (but not the obligation) at their sole discretion to pre-screen, monitor, editor remove any User Content that, in MILs judgment, does not comply with these Terms or isotherwise harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate. MIL is not responsible for any failure or delay inremoving such User Content. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with,the use of any User Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulnessof such User Content. In this regard, you acknowledge that you may not rely on any User Contentcreated by MIL or submitted to MIL.

You acknowledge, consent and agree that MIL may access, preserve, and disclose your accountinformation and User Content if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access,preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforcethe Terms; (c) respond to claims that any User Content violates the rights of third-parties; (d)respond to your requests for customer service; (e) protect the rights, property, or personal safety ofMIL, their users and the public; or (f) utilize Your usage and/or assessment data associated withthe Services for internal analytic statistical, development, educational or quality control purposes.


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You understand that the technical processing and transmission of the Services, including your UserContent, may involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform andadapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.


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NetiquetteWhat does the word etiquette mean, you ask? Well, it is a French word that refers to a set ofrules either dictated by authority or by what has been deemed culturally acceptable to function in

social or professional life. Netiquette is a combination of the words: network and etiquette. It isdefined in the dictionary as the informal code of behavior on the Internet. In other words,Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online.

Why do we want standards or rules for how we communicate digitally? We want standardsbecause, like in school, everybody needs to act appropriately and realize that there areconsequences for refusing to do so. It also helps us to understand the boundaries of what isacceptable behavior.

As a student of World Languages, you already know that to communicate in another language thanyour own, you need to learn more than the vocabulary and/or the grammar. You also need to learn

the culture so you dont commit social blunders. Cyberspace also has its own culture. Nobodyreally wants to offend someone or to be offended because they misunderstand how to act in agiven situation. It is the same online. You should always remember that you are interacting withreal people not just avatars like in video games. You should give them the same attention andrespect that you would give them in real life. The tricky part is that online you need to be morecareful because you cannot immediately see the damage you are causing by careless words.

This document will help you reduce misunderstanding by explaining what proper behavior is likein cyberspace, thus reducing the chances that you will make someone mad without meaning to doso. The list of rules below will help you remember what is acceptable; therefore, it would be agood idea to post them next to your computer so you can easily refer to them.

NetiquetteStandards

Please address your teacher appropriately by using Ms., Mrs., or Mr. as a titleunless they have directed you to do otherwise.

Use appropriate language: curt, rude, or profane language will not be toleratedand will be reported immediately to your school administrator.

Use appropriate Standard English when communicating. This is not the place forusing texting language.

Use proper lower case when appropriate. Do not write in all capital letters thishas the appearance of yelling when communicating online.

Use a font and color that your teacher can read easily. We recommend Times

New Roman 12-pt font since this is what you will use in college. Always use a proper subject line when writing to your teacher. Include specific Unit and Assignment names when referencing a problem. Be patient. Do not send several emails within a short period of time and think

that your teacher will respond immediately. Always identify yourself by your full name. Do not expect your teacher to

remember you by your email address. They can often be very confusing. If your teacher contacts you, be polite and answer back.

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