Are You Ready to Succeed in Your Summer Course?

Welcome to VirtualSC Summer Session! You have made the important decision to spend some of your summer vacation taking one or more courses with our program! In order to help you be more successful, we would like to share a few “tips” for success!

• 1. Have realistic expectations about the amount of time you need to complete a course and how much time you want to spend during your summer on schooling. You should expect to spend between 4-6 hours per week per course!

• 2. Follow the Pacing Guide.  The Pacing Guide you will receive from your teachers at the beginning of the summer will contain ALL due dates for the entire summer session, including the final exam. Falling behind can lead to a sense of snowballing.  Stay on pace so you will not become overwhelmed. If you lose track of the one emailed to you, you can always find it in the Introduction unit of your course.

• 3. Ask questions.  Use your teacher, but respect their office hours.  Message them any time, but realize that you may not get an answer right away if you try to reach them outside their published office hours.

• 4. Make sure you have a reliable way to complete the course outside of your school.  Always have multiple backup options for where to complete work if home or school wifi is unavailable.  Consistent access to wifi is a requirement of enrollment at VSC.

• 5. It is always okay to work ahead – especially if you are going on vacation, then it is recommended and encouraged! It is better to work ahead because extensions are not allowed during summer term.

• 6. Put your exam and all due dates on your calendar when the course starts.  Ask your teacher if they have a Google or iCal calendar for due dates! Some do!

• 7. Not all coursework can be done from your phone. You will need access to a computer for most coursework.

• 8. Read all directions and check your messages before asking your teacher for assistance.  Oftentimes, your teacher has sent a message with the information you are asking for already.

• 9. Check your grades regularly in Moodle and read the comments provided by your teacher on the assignment rubrics. If you still have a question about your grade at that time, please ask!

• 10. Re-submissions and late submissions will be graded in a timely manner. However, assignments that are submitted on time will be graded first. Not all courses/teachers allow re-submissions or late submissions, so be sure to talk to your teacher regarding these topics.

So, are you ready for the summer session to begin? There is no reason you can’t be successful in your summer courses if you plan your summer around your course (not the other way around!)

We want to know more about your summer coursework and your study habits. Please fill our our Summer Student Survey after reading this blog post.

-Ms. Yates, Social Studies Teacher and Ms. Carroll, Social Studies Lead Teacher