“Online courses are a way of offering specific electives that would otherwise not be possible—given other academic demands, athletic, or arts commitments—including esoteric courses or very advanced courses (beyond BC Calculus for example). The Online School for Girls provides opportunities for students in these areas which prepare them well for university coursework. Above all, the Online School for Girls promotes intellectual independence—not isolation—an essential skill for success in college.” — Ann Sullivan, Head of School, School of the Holy Child, Rye, NY
What schools are a part of the Online School for Girls?
We have two levels of involvement for schools – members or affiliates. We are currently accepting schools on the charter affiliate level. See a complete list of our schools and find out more information on how your school can be involved.
What benefits are there to becoming an affiliate school?
The Online School for Girls has grown organically from the talents of the schools in our consortium. So, the primary benefit of becoming a part of the Online School for Girls community is the ability to work closely with forward-thinking and innovative schools on 21st century approaches to teaching and learning. In addition, there are three practical benefits to joining the Online School for Girls as an Affiliate:
- Schools receive a 10% tuition discount for student courses, summer courses, extension courses, and professional development courses;
- Schools are able to register their students for courses one month prior to the application process opening for non-affiliated students; and
- Schools receive a seat on our Advisory Council.
How many students will be an online course?
The Online School for Girls’ courses are limited to 20 students; many will have fewer. Professional development courses are capped at 25 participants.
What does a course look like?
Please visit our Sample Lessons page to access our learning management system. There you will see example units from OSG classes.
How do Member or Affiliate Schools register their students?
For school year courses, we encourage member and affiliate schools to centralize registration within their school to one person. This will give the school internal control over registration of their students: registration for school year courses is here. Please note that for the 2012-2013 school year:
- Tuition for school-year courses must be paid by the member or affiliate school that enrolls the student from their permanent school program;
- Schools can still pass some or all of this cost along to families at their schools, but from the OSG perspective, schools will be responsible for tuition for their students; and
- Schools may not charge any person more for OSG than the stated tuition rate that the school pays—that is they may not “up charge” families for online courses through OSG.
For summer courses, either the school can enroll students or the individual student can enroll herself. Registration for summer courses is here.
How do Non-Member or Non-Affiliate Schools register their students?
Non-Member or Non-Affiliate School students would need to apply to take a course with OSG. Please see our registration page for School Year Courses or Summer Courses, as appropriate.
How so schools handle grade point averages and transcripts?
Each school handles grades and transcripts slightly differently. At this point, it is our understanding that about 65% of schools put OSG courses onto their student transcripts, while the other 35% of schools attach the OSG transcript to their own. Please contact OSG Director, Brad Rathgeber, with questions on this topic: brad.rathgeber@onlineschoolforgirls.org
How difficult are the courses?
Students should expect that their courses in the Online School will be vigorous and academically challenging, designed to challenge college-bound students. A student can expect that she will spend several hours a week directly engaged with new material through a variety of medium (for example: video presentations, video conferencing, discussion boards, assigned reading). Additionally students will also be assigned work to practice or reinforce the material, or assessments to demonstrate understanding. Overall a student should expect to spend 7-8 hours a week working on her school year courses (8-9 hours for an AP course) and 8-10 hours a week on a summer course.
How will students have access to the course?
Students will be given directions and a username and password on the day that Orientation begins, if not before.
How will OSG prepare a student to take an online class?
OSG asks that each girl participate in a student orientation which will show her how to navigate Haiku, our learning management system, and how to use other commonly used software. Her teacher will also provide instruction on how best to navigate the material and succeed in the course.
What will the assignments be like?
Assignments will vary both within a course, and between courses. Assignments may include, but are not limited to: textbook reading assignments, essays, wikis, practice problems, discussion board postings, Voicethread postings, Skype sessions. Most importantly a student must remember that her work on assignments must always be her own work (please see Academic Honest Policy). Students will also work with other students on projects.
How will I take tests?
This varies from class to class. Classes may have assessments online, partly online or not online at all. Your teacher will ask you to arrange a proctor at your school. Be sure to arrange this well in advance. The school can help if needed.
When does the work have to be done for a class?
Teachers will assign deadlines for all assignments. A student may decide to do small amounts of work each day, or do several hours of work in one sitting. Students must be largely self-motivated to maintain the commitment necessary to keep up with the work in her course. A student should not expect that she would be able to wait and try to get a week or more worth of material covered at once. Before entering an OSG course, a student should carefully consider if she has the self-discipline to successfully complete the course.
How often does a student need to log in to her course?
Students are required to log in to Haiku at least twice a week, though they are encouraged to log more frequently to check updated material and assignments. Students in summer courses should expect to log on almost at least four times a week. Since a primary method of communication between a student and her teacher will be via email, the student should provide the school with an email address that she checks daily.
Who are the teachers in the Online School for Girls?
The Online School for Girls’ teachers are experienced teachers in their disciplines and are experts in teaching girls. We encourage you to meet our teachers. Most of the OSG teachers currently teach at great independent girls’ schools (90%+) around the country, and all of the teachers have taught at a top independent school.
What if a student has a question? How do they reach their teacher?
Students must never hesitate to ask a question or ask for help. Since they do not see their teacher every day, he/she may not know if you are confused or have a question. There are a variety of ways a student can contact her teacher. Each teacher will have three “office hours” each week when he/she is available online via Skype to answer any questions. In addition, students may always email, call, instant message or Skype message her teacher to ask a question. Teachers will post the various ways to reach him/her. They will respond within 24 hours. Our best advice is for students to be proactive and ask for help as soon as it is needed.
If a student is enrolled in an AP course, are they required to take the AP Exam?
All students who are enrolled in an AP course are expected to take the exam. Students will take the exam at your home school. Students need to contact their home school’s AP coordinator to make all the arrangements.
How “tech-savvy” does a student need to be to take a course?
Many of the technologies used by OSG teachers will be ones that students have used before, or will be similar to other technologies that a student has likely experienced. A student who is familiar with the internet and using Web 2.0 and social networking should find the technology to be straight-forward and relatively easy to use. Before each class begins, students are asked to complete an Orientation that will introduce them to the standard learning technologies used at OSG and to the help and support that they have. We encourage students to spend 2-4 hours working through the Orientation to OSG. If and when teachers introduce new technologies in their classes, the teacher will provide adequate training for you.
Does the student or our school need any special computer or software?
In order to provide a consistent experience to all our students, the Online School for Girls requires that student computers meet certain minimum standards to successfully participate in our online courses:
Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
Minimum 1GB of memory (RAM)
At least a 1 GHz processor
Apple Computers
Mac OSX (Version 10.4 or higher)
Minimum 1GB of memory
Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 processor or faster
At this point, an iPad or Android tablet will not fully suffice as a device for courses with OSG. Most work can be done using these devices, however, there may be times when a student needs to use a full computer to complete her course work. Browsers used should include Flash support. We have found that students tend to have the easiest time using a Firefox browser, though IE, Chrome, and Safari are also supported.
Who do I contact with questions?
Schools may contact the Director, Brad Rathgeber, with any questions.
For More Information Contact:
Brad Rathgeber, Director
brad.rathgeber@onlineschoolforgirls.org
301.842.4674
Skype: brad.rathgeber
