Frequently Asked Questions

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IMPORTANT NOTICE:
With state legislative action in March, 2012, EHS services were restored; EHS is able to teach open-entry/open-exit classes for Utah students at no cost to students or schools.

Students continue to work with their counselor to select the correct classes.

EHS is available for students to take summer school classes.

What is the EHS Curriculum?
See https://share.ehs.uen.org/beta
The curriculum was released with a Creative Commons license early 2009.

What is the EHS mission?
"Our mission is to educate, remediate, accelerate, and graduate Utah's diverse learners with caring, qualified teachers using current technology to provide rigorous curricula, timely access to quality online instruction, and prompt professional feedback to student work."

EHS administration monitors for increased numbers of successful credits earned. EHS teachers give students feedback in areas of academic weakness to help students improve the quality of their academic work. The EHS open-entry/open-exit policy enables students to earn credits more quickly and in addition to their schedule of classes at their brick and mortar school.

What do EHS administration, faculty and staff believe about education?

WE BELIEVE
ALL people have the right and responsibility to learn, and that all students can learn, achieve and contribute to a quality society. Through formal and informal experiences everyone can be a life-long learner.

STUDENTS are ultimately responsible for their own learning, but teachers and parents should encourage, guide and support student efforts. All children need to have high expectations that are supported and strengthened by the educational system.

INDIVIDUAL students vary both in the speed with which they can learn new material, and in the styles or methods by which they learn best. In order to meet the needs of a variety of students, a variety of methods must be used.

STUDENTS should be able to earn credit based on their mastery of knowledge or skills, as measured by completion of assignments and tests, independent of the amount of time they have spent.

UTAH Core Curriculum standards set the expectations for all learners, and the content specified in the Utah Core Curriculum can be delivered using technology and the Internet.

INTERACTION between student and teacher is important to learning, but that interaction does not need to be "face-to- face."

PROMPT, timely feedback improves student learning and motivation.

FLUENCY in technology use is a key skill both in the workforce and in personal life.

EDUCATION over the internet is necessarily somewhat different from education in a traditional classroom, but not necessarily better or worse.

ACQUISITION of certain core, subject-specific information or knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for a good education; class assignments should promote both the acquisition of knowledge and the acquisition and practice of higher level thinking skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving, synthesis, creativity and evaluation. All students need to know how to continually access, analyze, and synthesize information.

ONE of the keys to our continuing high quality of life lies in educating as many students as possible, as quickly as possible, and to as high a degree, as broad a range, and great a depth as possible; this applies not only to the typical majority of students, but also to those who have, for whatever reason, fallen behind their peers, and to those who are capable of progressing far beyond their peers.

What are the desired student learning outcomes at EHS?

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT LEARNING

THINKING AND REASONING EHS promotes thinking and reasoning with reading and writing assignments across the curriculum, but particularly in the Language Arts classes.

SOCIAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY EHS promotes social and civic responsibility with the school honor code and with the reminders on the web site and via e-mail to treat their teachers, proctors, and fellow students with respect.

CHARACTER EHS promotes character, by teaching students about academic honesty including plagiarism. Students are encouraged to work together to learn, but must pass the final proctored test without assistance. This promotes individual responsibility.

AESTHETICS EHS promotes aesthetics through our arts and photography classes. EHS courses also include literature classics.

COMMUNICATION EHS promotes effective communication through e-mail communications between teachers and students, as well as through writing assignments across the curriculum. EHS uses the Six Traits writing rubric to assess written communications. Each teacher has a voice mail box for students to leave messages.

SYSTEMS THINKING EHS promotes systems thinking by working with students and their counselors to make decisions about which coursework is best matched for their educational needs. For example, our computer programming and web site design courses help students learn about technology systems. Our mathematics classes help students learn about number systems. Our Earth Systems class helps students learn about science-based systems.

EMPLOYABILITY EHS student futures are awash in technology. Our delivery system promotes student facility with technology. Because we provide quarter classes for students who accelerate or who need credit recovery, we are important to students leaving their local schools with a diploma on time. (Utah’s State Board of Education sets the required classwork for students to earn a diploma. EHS curriculum is aligned to the core curriculum to facilitate students learning the required content. The Board has also created a statewide vision called Life Skills in seven areas detailing how students should be prepared for adulthood and are part of our expectations for student learning.)

EHS helps Students who want to Graduate Early

Another way to look at the Early Graduate numbers:

SELECT EHS NUMBERS July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011

Number of students requesting a FREE ACCOUNT with EHS during the year: 20,535 (as of June 29)
Number of students earning credit at EHS during the year: 9,345 (as of June 29)
** Translation: 45% conversion rate - interested students follow through to request class and then complete class with credit.
Please note this is NOT completion ratio since not all students who request an account actually register for a class; this is conversion ratio.

From student self-report data of students who earned credit EHS this year:

SELECT EHS NUMBERS July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010

Number of students requesting a FREE ACCOUNT with EHS during the year: 21,995
Number of students earning credit at EHS: 7,235
** Translation: 30% conversion rate - interested students follow through to request class and then complete class with credit.
Please note this is NOT completion ratio; this is conversion ratio.

From student self-report data of students who earned credit EHS this year:

EHS OVERALL NUMBERS
More than 42,200 Utah students have earned over 114,000 successful quarter class completions and 48 students have earned an EHS diploma.

EHS serves adults who have not yet earned a high school diploma, dropouts (e.g. young mothers, etc.), students who need credit recovery (failed the class at another school), original credit (students who are making room in their schedule for other classes from their school of record), and credit acceleration (students who are graduating early from high school).

From student self-report data of students who expressed interest in EHS:

REGISTRATION:

• To request an EHS account, click the Get An Account link.

• Where are my classes? Go to the log-in page at: http://ehs.uen.org/ Click the EHS Class Log-in link in the menu.
  
  • Put in your username and password making sure you use only lowercase letters. If you copy and paste the username from the original e-mail message from EHS, be sure you haven’t selected any extra spaces at the beginning or the end.
    
  • Then click the log-in button. You are then at your custom EHS home page called “My EHS Home Page.” Your current classes are listed there.
  
  
• What do I do if I've forgotten my password? If you've forgotten your password, you can use our Password Recovery page. The EHS server will send you a link via your e-mail address (on file at EHS) to change your password. Once you are logged in, you can change your password. Click your name's link the top right side of the window and click the [Change Password] there.
  
  • If your e-mail address is incorrect, you can request password or username help with our Help Request Form.

• How do I know which class I should take? Talk to your local school counselor to make sure you know exactly the right class you need. You can also study the list of classes required for a Utah diploma.
  
• How do I get into the class I need? Log-in to EHS. At the top right of your EHS home page is a link to the Class Request Form. Fill in your EHS username and the e-mail address you use at EHS. Then select the quarter class you need and submit that request.
  
• How many classes can I take at one time? Students can be working in up to only 4 courses at a time.
  
• Do I need to stay active in the class? Yes, students must be logging in each week and submitting assignments to stay on the class roll.
  
• What if I get dropped from my class for inactivity? If at least 3 of your assignments have been graded, you can fill in a Help Request and we can re-enroll you into that same class. Otherwise you'll need to re-request the class and begin all over again.
  
• How do I get into the next quarter of the class I'm currently in? When you have completed all the work in the class, the last assignment is called the READY assignment. You complete that assignment. The teacher will respond. If the teacher says, yes, you are READY for the final test, EHS will put your name on the list of students who are ready for their proctored final test, AND will automatically enroll you in the next quarter of the class.
  
• What if I don't need the next quarter of the class? If you are automatically enrolled in the enrolled in the next quarter of the class, you can send an e-mail to the teacher and ask to be dropped, or fill in a Help Request form at the front page of EHS and asked to be dropped.
  
  • NOTE: Please be sure your school counselor has pre-approved the class, or it may not count towards your graduation. Also, be aware that each quarter class requires students pass a proctored final test before credit is awarded. Proctors must be Utah residents and be certified by EHS. Some proctors require a fee.
  
  
• How do I tell EHS that my e-mail address has changed? After logging-in to EHS, click your name in the upper-right hand corner of your EHS home page.
  
  • Click the [Edit Profile] tab. You can change your e-mail address there. Our system will send an e-mail to you at the new address. You'll need to respond to it to verify you've given a correct e-mail address.
    
  • Click the [Update profile] button to save the changes.
  
  
• How do I tell EHS that I've moved to a new school? After logging-in to EHS, click your name in the upper-right hand corner of your EHS home page.
  
  • Click the [Edit Profile] tab.
    
  • Click the [Show advanced] button. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and put in the name of your new school in the INSTITUTION area. (If you are a home-schooled student, your home's street address is in the Institution area.)
    
  • Click the [Update profile] button to save the changes.

• Where are my classes? Seat requests are processed by date as seats become available in classes. Log-in and your current classes are listed on your EHS home page in the middle area of the page.
  
• Where is the "content" of my class? Click the class name from your My EHS page to enter your class. The class content is in the first two sections (topics) of the class. Topic 1 (About this Class) and Topic 2 (Class Content) contain all the things you need to learn.
  
• What assignments do I need to do? Topic 3 (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests) contains all the things you need to do. Remember you need to complete all the assignments, quizzes and tests in this section before you are eligible to take the Proctored Final Test.
  
• Where is the Proctored Test Area? Topic 4 (About the Proctored Final Test) contains instructions for arranging for and taking your proctored final test. Remember, you need to pass the final test to earn credit for the class.
  

• What do I do if my grade or assignment doesn't appear in my gradebook? Make sure you have submitted the assignment from the direct link to the assignment or test. It appears in the class in the third section (Topic 3) called Assignments, Quizzes, Tests.
  
• How do I read what the teacher said about my returned assignments? Assignments are scored with comments in your gradebook -- simply click on the Grades link in your class to see your scores and teacher comments.
  
• What if assignments were not graded even though they were submitted? Most assignments are graded within 3 days (not including weekends and holidays). If it has not been scored after 3 days (excluding weekends and holidays), you should check immediately to see if the assignment link says it was submitted. If you suspect there are problems, feel free to send a message to your teacher describing the problem. (You need not do this with all assignments – only if there is a question of whether they are actually being received.)
  
• What if a link to an assignment website doesn’t work according to the instructions? Try again making sure you follow all the instructions. If you are sure it doesn’t work, send a note to the instructor telling the assignment number (e.g. 2.7, 3.5 etc.) and your difficulty. You are free to move to the next lessons while waiting for help. Occasionally, assignment websites have problems. Teachers try to quickly resolve the problems, but must sometimes wait for site developers to repair sites. In such cases, you need not wait to complete the assignments but may, instead, answer the questions as best you can by using other sites, asking people, and using common sense. After answering such questions as best you can, tell the teacher the site was down and the teacher will respond with any information that may be needed for the test.
  
• How do I find out about grades, assignments received and what is due? Go to “Grades" on the Administration Menu of your class home page.
  
• Should I "remove" the assignments "sent" and "read" from my gradebook? No, keep them there for reference so you can review the comments when you prepare for the proctored final test.
  
• How do I submit an assignment? Assignments are submitted using the links in Topic 3 of the class.
  
  • For online text assignments, write your message (or assignment) using your word processor as normal. Then, copy and paste it into the assignment submission form, which makes the assignment available the teacher. Here’s how to do it:
    
    • Write your message or assignment using your usual word processor. Then save it on your computer with a title that includes your name and description of the message. As an example, if your name is Mary Jones submitting assignments 1.2-1.6, entitles it as: M.Jones assignment 1.2-1.6. (This will save your work on your local computer in case you need to review it later.)
      
    • Select all the verbiage for your assignment and copy it. (Copying text will put the text onto your computer's clipboard.)
      
    • Go to the Electronic High School Web site (ehs.uen.org) and login with your I.D. and password. Click on your class name and then scroll to the third area of the class called Assignments, Quizzes, Tests. Click the assignment.
      
    • Then click the [Edit Submission] button.
      
    • Paste your copied assignment into the Submission box (look for the label in red letters) at the bottom of the page.
      
    • Click the [Save Changes] button. Remember this step or the assignment will not be sent to your teacher.
    
    
  • For file submission assignments, create the file on your local computer. Then upload the file(s) using the file submission form, which makes the file(s) available the teacher. Here’s how to do it:
    
    • Create and then save the file on your computer making sure the file is less than 2 MB. Be sure you know where the file is located on your computer. (Usually it is in your user's Document folder.)
      
    • Go to the Electronic High School Web site (ehs.uen.org) and login with your I.D. and password. Click on your class name and then scroll to the third area of the class called Assignments, Quizzes, Tests. Click the assignment.
      
    • Click the [Choose file] button and then in the file navigation window navigate to your saved file, select your file and then click the [Open] button.
      
    • Click the [Upload file] button.
      
    • Some assignments also allow for a Notes section for you to send a note about your files to the teacher. If the [Edit] button is available in the Notes section, use that button to get the notes text-edit box and then compose your note to the teacher.
      
    • When you've uploaded your file(s) and composed your note, click the [Send for marking] button to submit the file(s) to your teacher for grading.
    
    
    • For quizzes or tests, click the test, answer the questions and submit the test for scoring. Here's how to do it:
      
      • Go to the Electronic High School Web site (ehs.uen.org) and login with your I.D. and password. Click on your class name and then scroll to the third area of the class called Assignments, Quizzes, Tests. Click the quiz/test.
        
      • Click the [Attempt quiz now] button.
        
      • Most quizzes allow only one attempt. If that's the case, your computer will warn you and will require you click the [OK] button to proceed to the test.
        
      • Answer all the questions.
        
      • Click the [Submit all and finish] button when you have completed the test. You'll be warned that you cannot change any answers after you submit the quiz/test. Click the [OK] button to submit the test for scoring. (Some tests are timed. Be sure to watch the time and finish within the time limit.)
        
      • The system will list your attempt. Click the [Continue] button to return to the front page of your course.
        
      • Click the Grades link in the Administration menu on your class front page. Your quiz/test score will be listed.
      
      
    • NOTE: if the test includes questions that must be graded by the teacher, the points for those questions will not be included until AFTER the teacher has scored your answers to those questions.
  
  TESTS OR QUIZZES:
  
  • What if a quiz or test can’t be accessed?
    
  • If you are sure you are taking the correct test and still cannot take the test, try the following:
    
    • Reboot your computer, make sure your Internet connection is working by accessing several different Internet sites.
      
    • Login to the class at ehs.uen.org using your username and password.
    
    
  • If you still have problems, please send the following information to the teacher via the message box:
    
    • Tell what happens when you try to take the test or quiz (screen messages?, error messages?, etc.)
      
    • Tell kind of computer operating system are you using? (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Macintosh, etc.)
      
    • Tell the browser are you using? (Windows Explorer, Firefox, AOL, etc.)
      
    • Tell if your Internet connection is dial-up (regular phone lines) or high-speed (DSL, cable).
      
    • Tell if you have tried to take the quiz on another computer.
    
    
  • What if the test or quiz CAN be accessed but doesn’t work properly?
    
    • Sometimes it helps to use Firefox rather than some other browser.
      
    • Make sure you are clicking on the circle bubble rather than the letter of the desired answer.
      
    • Make sure you conclude the quiz by clicking the submit button - you may have to scroll down to see this.
  
  PROCTORED FINAL TEST:
  
  • When the teacher has responded to your READY assignment and given you permission to take the final test, you Arrange to Take your Proctored Final Test.
    
  • Then you study for your test.
    
  • Arrive at your pre-arranged proctoring location at a local school, library, or testing center.
    
  • Show your picture ID to your proctor. Some proctors require a fee.
    
  • Log-in to your EHS class and scroll down to Topic 4.
    
  • Click the final test.
    
  • Ask the proctor to put in the test password.
    
  • Complete the timed final test.
    
  • Submit the test.
    
  • Log-off your EHS account.
    
  • Thank the proctor.
    
  • Log-in every day over the next couple days to see the final grade that's been awarded for the class. When the grade has been sent to your school of record, you will be removed from that class.

NCAA:

• Are EHS classes approved by NCAA? Yes. The EHS program is rigorous. Student work is turned in online and teachers grade the work and give feedback online throughout the class. Students have continuous access to their class teacher (Utah endorsed for the class) via EHS e-mail and the EHS messaging system for feedback and for questions. EHS classes take between 30 and 50 hours per quarter class to complete. The EHS grade book keeps copies of submitted and graded assignments for you to use to prepare for the proctored final test for each quarter class.
  
• Which EHS classes are approved by NCAA? The EHS institution code is 851-024. Our approved classes are listed on the NCAA site. Be sure to talk with your school counselor to make sure they approve your taking the course from us to go onto your transcript. NCAA will ask your school to send your official transcript and ask us (EHS) to send our course completion certificate to assure we did grant the credit listed on your school's transcript.
  

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES:

• What do I do if I am going to take a break from the class? Occasional breaks of up to 2 weeks are ok. If it will be longer 2 weeks, send a message to your teacher saying why you won't be working on the class so you don’t get removed from the class. You cannot take a break from Fitness for Life - it must be completed in 6 straight weeks.
  
• How can I complete the class more quickly? It usually takes around 6 weeks to finish one quarter but some students finish it much more quickly by doing the following:
  
  • Always have your next assignment ready to turn in as soon as the old one is graded. (Read the teacher feedback on the old assignment and make corrections to your new assignment before you submit the new assignment - to show the teacher you are learning from the feedback.)
    
  • Make sure assignments are correct with up-to-date requirements so that none have to be resubmitted. (Our curriculum is constantly being improved and some requirements change.) Having to resubmit assignments is the great obstacle to efficient completion.
    
  • Always follow instructions carefully to avoid delays.
    
  • If it is an emergency, send a message to the instructor via e-mail. Tell your desired completion date and the reason for needing to complete more quickly. Teachers will let you know what or if anything can be worked out. If you are a senior, do your work early so you avoid the rush at the end of the school year! Seniors must complete their coursework by April 15 and their proctored exams by May 1.
  
  
• How is cheating dealt with? Any student involved in cheating (one who receives work or sends work from/to others) may be deleted from the class and/or have credit deleted. Repeat offenders may lose the option to take any class at EHS.
  
• Students are responsible for keeping their own work secure.

Server Usage Traffic

EHS provides service to students across Utah. EHS has a regularly scheduled service outage each Sunday morning from 2:00 AM until 10:00 AM.

From July 1, 2010 until June 30, 2011, EHS had 920,695 log-ins - an average of 2,522 total log-ins per day.

RECENT SAMPLE NUMBERS

• Mar 2011 - average total log-ins per day: 4,374 ~ average unique log-ins per day: 2,582
  
• Apr 2011 - average total log-ins per day: 4,047 ~ average unique log-ins per day: 2,237
  
• May 2011 - average total log-ins per day: 3,244 ~ average unique log-ins per day: 1,832
  
• Jun 2011 - average total log-ins per day: 4,340 ~ average unique log-ins per day: 2,422
  
• Jul 2011 - average total log-ins per day: 4,542 ~ average unique log-ins per day: 2,599
  

Unique User Log-ins (7/1/2010 through 7/30/2011)

Total User Log-ins (7/1/2010 through 7/30/2011)

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