What is Distance Education?

• The education of students who may not always be present at aschool.

• In the past it has been referred to as ‘Correspondence Learning’.This relied upon materials being posted back and forth betweenthe school and students.

• More recently Distance Education involves online learning.

• Today we use a combination of approaches when deliveringdistance education; correspondence, online programs, virtualclassrooms, phone conferencing and face-to-face learning.

Distance Education in WA

We also have SIDE, the School of Isolated and Distance Education. This facility isbased in Perth and delivers to High School students in remote areas across theState and also supplements specialist courses for students outside of the majorcentres.

In WA we have 5 Primary Schools delivering distance education to studentsin remote areas of the State. These are the Schools of the Air (SOTAs)based in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Kalgoorlie, Meekatharra and Carnarvon.

What does it look like for students and staff?

School of the Air: K-6All students participate in their education through a combined approach:

• On-Air lessons (virtual classroom)

• Online learning – Programs andcourse content loaded onto Connect

• Physical learning materials sent tofamilies from the school andreturned on completion

• Phone conferencing

• Home visits

What does it look like for students and staff?

School of Isolated and Distance Education Y7-Y12 Predominantly an online approach, based in Leederville

• On-Air lessons (virtual classroom) X1 hr per week.• Online learning – programs and course content

accessible online.• Phone conferencing.• Email correspondence.• Site visits to schools.

Many EKC Senior School ATAR Students are currently enrolled in SIDE courses(courses which are not offered face-to-face at EKC)

and are familiar with Distance Education.

How will it work at EKC?

• A) families who have online facilities and supervision for learners at home;

• B) families who require their children to come to school due to all responsible adults inthe household working or involved in essential services; and

• C) families who have limited or no access to technology and will require hard copycorrespondence-style education programs.

A survey has been sent to families on Monday.

We need to identify:

How will Distance Education look for Primary School?

Group A – Online Learners

• Students will be participating in an online lesson each day using the Department-endorsed WebEx online conferencing program.

• Maths, English, Science, HaSS & Health lessons will be delivered via WebEx throughoutthe week.

• Students will access the associated learning materials and then submit completed workonline through the Department-developed ‘Connect’ platform. Each student has anindividual login and although many of our students are already engaging with theConnect platform, the College will provide ‘how-to’ guides to assist families to navigateConnect and Webex.

• Resources for specialist programs (such as Arts and Technologies) will also be available onConnect for weekly access.

How will Distance Education look for Primary School?

Group B – Onsite LearnersChildren of ‘Essential Services Workers’

• Onsite learners will participate in the same online WebEx lesson as our online learners athome but will be in the room with the classroom teacher.

• Onsite learners will be supported by EKC staff members to complete the set work for theiryear group in the same manner that a family member will support an online learner fromhome. Students will work through both electronic and hard copy materials.

• Resources for specialist programs (such as Arts and Technologies) will also be available forthis group on Connect for weekly access.

How will Distance Education look for Primary School?

Group C – Offline Learners

• Hardcopy resources will be provided to those students who do not have access totechnology or internet at home. Fortnightly work packs will be accessible which containcomprehensive instructions for families to support their child to complete the set tasks.

• This correspondence-style process will require completed materials to be returned to theschool for marking, assessment and feedback.

How will Distance Education look for Secondary School?

Year’s 7-10 Students will maintain Maths English, Science HaSS (MESH), Health andone ‘Options’ subject in Term 2

MESH:

• x1 40-minute WebEx lesson per subject per week

• x1 additional 40-minute WebEx “tutorial” (Q&A) for MESH Subjects per week

Health & Options

• x1 40-minute WebEx lesson per subject per week

(Students will do x1 Health and either a X1 Technology or Arts)

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Group A – Online Learners

How will Distance Education look for Secondary School?

Group A – Online Learners

General & ATAR

• x2 40-minute WebEx lessons per course per week

• Connect Discussion board facility used throughout the week

Specialised & Engagement Programs

• Combination of WebEx & Work Packs to be completed at home.

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How will Distance Education look for Secondary School?

Group B – Onsite Learners

7-10 Students will maintain MESH, Health and an Options subject Term 2:

• x1 40-minute WebEx lesson per subject per week

• x1 additional 40-minute WebEx “tutorial” (Q&A) for MESH Subjects per week

General & ATAR

• x1 40-minute WebEx lesson per course per week

• x1 additional 40-minute WebEx “tutorial” (Q&A) per week

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How will Distance Education look for Secondary School?

Group B – Onsite Learners

Engagement

• Combination of WebEx & Work Packs. Awaiting results of survey for online contingent numbers.

Same arrangement as ‘Online Learners’. Onsite learners will be physically in class during recorded WebEx sessions. Onsite learners will be supported

by staff on a rotational roster when not engaging in their scheduled WebEx sessions. Su

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How will Distance Education look for Secondary School?

Group C – Offline Learners

• For students categorised as ‘Offline Learners’ the same process will apply forSecondary students as it does Primary, and these students will be providedcomprehensive work packs each fortnight.

Senior School Update

Senior School

• Senior School, in particular our Year 12’s, continue to be our priority and will beadequately supported during this transition.

• Many of our Year 12’s are familiar with correspondence-style learning which is of greatadvantage moving forward.

• The College is currently being guided by the Department of Education and ourgoverning Curriculum Authority, SCSA to ensure that no student is disadvantaged dueto these unprecedented times. Adjustments will be made to course requirements andour teachers are currently working hard to adjust their programs to align with therevised course syllabus.