• Overview
• Parent Information
• Administrator Information
• Course Description
• FAQ
• Requisite Skills
• Registration Process
• Staff
• Events
• Support CLC

Is the course safe?
The courses are taught using Moodle. Moodle is a platform commonly used in middle schools and high schools for online courses or hybrid courses. It is secure. Only registered students will have access to the site. Students will be given a “key” to gain entrance to their course.

Are the teachers certified?
Yes. Teachers who teach for the CLC Network are certified by the State of Michigan to teach the course(s) they are assigned. In the case of online courses, the teachers are experienced online teachers.

Will the course have much homework?
The course will be challenging. We target our online courses to students who are ready for an academic challenge. While we do not wish to burden students with homework, our expectation is for several hours of homework each week.

Who is the target student for these courses?
The target students are those who are ready for an academic challenge. The courses we teach will be accelerated in terms of depth of content and in the pace of learning.

We believe that successful students will have the following characteristics:

• Skill and comfort with computers
• Independence in learning, emphasizing
  o Planning
  o Starting
  o Executing
  o Finishing
• Self-motivation
• Organizational skills
  

Students who take these courses will be in the middle school grades.

When does a student work on this course?
Online courses are intended to replace courses of the same, or similar, name in the homeschool or home school curriculum. Therefore, students who take online courses should be excused, when it meets, from the course replaced by the online course. For example, if the student would normally take eighth grade English during fourth hour, she/he would be excused from the fourth hour English course. Then, during fourth hour the student will work on her/his Online English course. It is recommended that the student work in an alternate location, such as the media center; however, some students have worked in the back of their classroom while their typical class met. Homeschool students and parents can choose their own arrangements for integration of online courses.

Does this course give high school credit?
At this time, CLC Network Online courses do not offer high school credit. They will likely replace a high school course. For example, Geometry Online taken successfully during the eighth grade year will replace the typical high school Geometry course. In that case, the student will move directly into whatever math course follows Geometry in their high school.

What kind of computer set-up is required for an online course?
The speed with which the computer can access the Internet is the primary consideration. This access should be at a DSL or cable modem connection speed. Dial-up service is inadequate for online courses. Students do not need a laptop to take the course. They will need access to the Internet during the school day and at home, however. Therefore, most students do use a laptop for the convenience and for the guaranteed computer access afforded by the laptop.

Students need to purchase flash drives on which they can save their work and by which they can take their work between school and home. It is critical that students backup their work frequently. A computer crash with loss of work can make for a bad day. Homeschool students do not need a flash drive, but should save their work and occasionally back it up.

How many students typically take an online course?
Our classes are small. We anticipate groups of five to 15 in our classes. Most students live in West Michigan; however, we have had students from other states and countries take our courses. We look forward to the long-distance interactions and connections that can be made among students from Christian schools and homes around the country and the world.

Is the course done entirely online?
Our online courses are taught entirely online. Because our students come from a rather large geographic area, we cannot reliably bring students together for face-to-face instruction. We do plan to bring together for social connections those students who are able to travel the distance to the CLC Network central office in Wyoming, Michigan.

Our online courses are taught asynchronously. This means that students can work on the course assignments at times of their choosing. They do not need to be online when the instructor or other students are online.

Class discussion, which is an important part of the learning process, occurs through the online discussion board, wiki, blog and via email. These types of discussions can be done at times of the students’ choosing.

Can a student work at her/his own pace?
Since our courses are teacher-led, they cannot be done entirely at one’s own pace. While working within a unit of study, a student has control over how rapidly she/he works through the tasks of the unit; however, the unit will completed at a time similar to the rest of the students in the course. It isn’t possible for a student to complete a semester of study in a matter of a few weeks even if they work really, really fast.

How do I know what my student is working on?
This might be somewhat challenging, since there is less of a typical paper trail with our online courses than what might be true for a face-to-face course. That said, there are several ways to keep up with your student’s work:

• Ask your daughter or son to print out an example of a recent assignment/task, including the instructor’s feedback/grade.
• Ask your daughter or son to print out a copy of the current “gradebook,” which will provide an up-to-date look at grades for the course.
• Ask your daughter or son to give you a tour of the online course site.
• Compare the projected course “curriculum map” topics with the current date and ask to see a sample of work.
• Contact the course instructor for feedback about your student’s performance.
• Your student’s course instructor will provide regular feedback, as well.

Online Registration