Virtual Learning Academy

Student Documentation Version 4.0 9/2012

1 Overview.......................................................................................................................... 1 2 Login & Home Page ....................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Login..................................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Home Page ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Toolbar......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Course List ................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.3 New Messages ............................................................................................................................. 4

3 Units ................................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 My Units Page ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Unit Page .............................................................................................................................. 7 3.2.1 Split Screen View ........................................................................................................................ 7 3.2.2 Unit View..................................................................................................................................... 8 3.2.3 Questions View............................................................................................................................ 9 3.2.4 Resources View ......................................................................................................................... 10

3.3 Answering and Submitting Questions ............................................................................. 11

3.4 Reviewing Units ................................................................................................................. 13 3.4.1 Reviewing Unit Grades.............................................................................................................. 13 3.4.2 Reviewing Unit Answers ........................................................................................................... 14

4 Messaging...................................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Reading Messages ............................................................................................................. 15 4.2 Writing New Messages ...................................................................................................... 16 4.3 Forum/Threaded Discussion…………………………………………………………… 16

5 Support .......................................................................................................................... 18 5.1 Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................................ 18 5.2 Contact Tech Support ....................................................................................................... 18 5.3 VLA Student Blog……………………………...……………………………………….. 19

6 Parent Access ................................................................................................................ 19

Virtual Learning Academy	Student Documentation

1 Overview

The goal of this document is to provide an overview of Virtual Learning Academy or VLA. It will familiarize you with the most common features of the application.

This manual starts by explaining how to login to VLA and what information is contained on the home page. In the next section, class units are explained. This includes how to view the unit content, look for additional resources and answer and submit questions. The following two sections explain the messaging system used to interact with teachers and the help system. The final section describes how parents can view their children’s units and grades.

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2 Login & Home Page

2.1 Login

The Login page is the first page of the application. A valid username and password is required in order to proceed.

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2.2 Home Page

The Home Page is the first page you will see after logging in. The following sections explain the individual parts of this page.

2.2.1 Toolbar

The toolbar is located in the top right corner of the Home Page and provides access to some commonly used features of VLA. The toolbar can be found on every page.

Return to the VLA Home Page.
View units for a class (See Section 3.1 for details). View messages (See Section 4.1 for details).
View VLA Student Blog (See Section 5.3 for details). Write a message (See Section 4.2 for details).
View Forum, Threaded Discussion (See Section 4.3 for details). Frequently asked questions (See Section 5.1 for details). Contact technical support (See Section 5.2 for details).
Logout of the system.

2.2.2 Course List

This section of the Home Page gives you a quick view of your courses, how many units you have completed and your current average. Clicking on the course name in the ‘Courses’ column will take you to the My Units page where you can view units and grades.

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2.2.3 New Messages

This section of the Home Page displays unread and not answered messages. Click on the name in the ‘From’ column to view the message.

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3 Units

The following sections explain how to view, answer and submit units.

3.1 My Units Page

There are two ways to get to the My Units page:
Click on the course name from the VLA Home Page.

Click on the	icon in the toolbar and choose the appropriate class from the ‘Course’ dropdown list.

On the My Units page you will see the name, status (Viewed, Graded or Submitted), grade and teacher comments for each unit in the class. Clicking on the unit name will take you to the Unit Results page, providing you have already completed the unit. If you have yet to finish the unit, you will be taken to the Unit page.

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Your overall class average can be seen just to the right of the ‘Choose a Course’ dropdown menu.

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3.2 Unit Page

The Unit page is where you will spend most of your time. From here you can read the unit content, complete the questions and submit them. You can also find additional resources for the unit. The following sections will explain the various options available on the vertical toolbar on the left side.

3.2.1 Split Screen View

The Split Screen view shows the unit content and questions on the same page.

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3.2.2 Unit View

The Unit view shows a unit’s content.

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3.2.3 Questions View

The Questions view shows a unit’s questions.

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3.2.4 Resources View

The Resources view shows where you can find more information or sample problems for the unit. They can be documents or websites.

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3.3 Answering and Submitting Questions

To answer questions, you need to go to either the Split Screen view or the Questions view. The Questions view is used in the following screenshots.

Perform the following steps to complete and submit a unit’s questions:
1) Type your answer in the textbox and hit the ‘Save’ button. Once you save a question the answer is stored in the system. So if you logout and come back later to complete the unit, your saved answers will still be there. If you logout and do not save your answers all work will be lost. To overwrite an answer you previously saved, enter the new answer in the textbox and click the ‘Save’ button.

2) When you are finished with all the questions you are ready to review your answers. Click the ‘All Finished! Review My Answers’ button right below the last question.

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3) You are taken to the Review Your Answers page. The purpose of this page is to allow you to double check your answers and make any changes if necessary. Make sure to click the ‘Save’ button on any answers that you change.

4) Once you finish reviewing all of your answers you can submit them for grading. Comments for your teacher regarding the unit can be entered in the textbox below the last question. Click the ‘Looks OK! Send to my Teacher’ button to submit your answers. Answers cannot be changed once they are submitted.

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3.4 Reviewing Units

3.4.1 Reviewing Unit Grades

After submitting a unit, the status of a unit changes from ‘Viewed’ to ‘Submitted’ on the My Units page. See unit two ‘Surface Area’ in the screenshot below.

When your teacher grades a unit you will see your grade posted on the My Units page. You will notice that the status changes from ‘Submitted’ to ‘Graded’.

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3.4.2 Reviewing Unit Answers

To view the Unit Results page click on the unit name from the My Units page. On this page you can review your answers and read any comments from the teacher.

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4 Messaging

The messaging system allows you to send and receive messages from your teachers.

4.1 Reading Messages

To view the Messages page click the	icon in the toolbar. Click on the name in the ‘From/To’ column to read a message.

To respond to the message click the ‘Click Here to answer’ link at the bottom of the screen.

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4.2 Writing New Messages

To write a new message click the	icon in the toolbar. Choose which teacher to send the message to by using the ‘To’ dropdown menu.

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4.3 Forum/Threaded Discussion

To view the forum, click on the	icon in the toolbar. Respond to the post from your teacher and have a discussion with other members of your class. See the Threaded Discussion Instruction Manual for step-by-step instructions.

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5 Support

5.1 Frequently Asked Questions

Click the	icon in the toolbar to view frequently asked questions.

5.2 Contact Tech Support

Click the	icon in the toolbar to send a message to your Point of Contact for Tech Support.

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5.3 VLA Student Blog

Click the	icon in the toolbar to view the VLA Student Blog. You can find helpful tips and information about VLA.

6 Parent Access

VLA allows parents to view their children’s progress in their courses. The parent version of VLA is virtually identical to the students. The parent access is Read Only.
The Parent Home Page is the first page you will see after logging in. It lists courses, averages, grades and the activity for each course. If you have several children, you can choose which child you wish to view from the ‘Student’ dropdown menu.

Clicking on a course name will take you to the My Units page where you can view units and grades. Please read the student documentation for an explanation of these pages. Pay special attention to sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.

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