When students are enrolled in an Accelerate Education online course, there are two key tools to help them remain on pace.
The To-Do List provides a list of upcoming gradable activities and due dates for each of the student’s current courses.
The Calendar displays due date notifications that are color-coded by course. Students may select a specific date or view (day, week, month) for a list of all upcoming activities.
Range vs Continuous course pacing
The due dates assigned to each activity depend on the course pacing enabled for a course.
All courses taught by our local school district teachers are Range courses.
Courses taught by Accelerate Education teachers are Continuous courses. The teacher listed in Genius will appear as No Teacher.
Range:
The course is set to run for all students using the same end date and activity due dates. Students are expected to move through the course as a cohort, remaining on the same pacing throughout.
Teachers will specify activity due dates for all gradable activities, which will be the same for every student in the course. Teachers still have the ability to modify activity due dates on a student-by-student basis.
A Range course gives teachers control over several items:
When assignments are due
When assignments are visible to students
If assignments turned in late will be accepted.
Continuous:
The course schedule is self-paced; while an overall start and end date is specified for each student, those dates may vary from student to student. Suggested activity due dates, which may vary among students, are scheduled in a manner to support the student successfully completing the course by the designated end date. The suggested due dates are soft due dates and students are able to turn in work after the due dates have passed.
When a course is defined as Continuous, the LMS (Buzz) automatically schedules suggested due dates for all activities and assignments. Each student sees a calendar of due dates that is tailored to them. It is meant to provide a pacing guideline to ensure the student remains on pace to complete the course by their target end date.
In a Continuous course, suggested due dates are based on:
The sequence of activities in the course
The number of non-gradable activities (lessons, etc.) between each gradable activity
The relative weight of each activity
Any course or student blackout dates that have been specified
The number of total days the student is assigned to the course. When students start later in the quarter or semester, they will have less time to complete all the activities.