Introduction:
As you consider learning online at Michigan Virtual, we would like you to get a preview of what our courses will look like. Each online course is a little different; but course demonstrations offer a glimpse of what Brightspace, our Learning Management System (LMS), looks like and how it functions.
Note: You must first obtain the website address, username and password from a Michigan Virtual sales representative before these steps can be completed.
Details:
- Once you have logged in with the credentials provided to you, locate the appropriate course by either:
- tapping the course tile in the My Courses area, or
- select a course from the course picker (waffle icon), or
- scroll to the bottom of the page and tap “View All Courses” to manually type and search for a course.
- Next, take note of the navigation as this will help guide you through the course.
- The minibar will show the course picker (waffle icon), subscription alerts (chat icon), update alerts (bell) and the demo account profile.
- The navbar will contain quick access to course Lessons, Discussions, Grades and Resources.
- The Course Quick Access will provide important links for the user to refer to for additional information.
- View widgets, Announcements and Teacher Feed as they will provide important information for students once they’ve accessed their course.
Minibar
- Start by tapping the Select a Course (waffle) icon. This shortcut will allow students to quickly access other enrolled courses. In the demo environment, this allows users to view a variety of course demos.
- Then tap the Subscription Alerts (chat boxes) icon to view notifications for items a student subscribed to.
- Next, select the Update Alerts (bell) icon to view important messages.
- Finally, tap the Michigan Virtual logo at any time to return to the landing page with the list of available courses or tap the linked course name to return to the course details homepage.
Navbar
- First, tap the Lessons tab at the top of the page. The Lessons page in Brightspace acts as a table of contents which allows you to navigate course components (lessons, units, folders, and materials). Each expandable tile contains additional course components that students can quickly access by tapping the title.
Note: Lessons in demo courses are limited to the first unit and exclude any tests or quizzes. - Next, select the Discussions tab. The Discussions tool is a collaboration area to post, read and reply to threads on different topics, share thoughts about course materials and ask questions, share files, or work with peers on assignments and/or homework.
Note: Demo threads are view only. - Then tap the Grades tab to view how student grades will be displayed. Students will be able to view individual grades as well as the formula used to evaluate them. Depending on how grades are setup, they may be able to view feedback from their instructor and/or overall class performance statistics.
- Finally, tap Resources to display a list of links that pertain to this course. Students will be able to view materials to help them in the course.
Course Quick Access
- Students will select the Start Here tile to locate the course welcome letter from their instructor as well as pacing guides, orientation information and discussion board introductions.
Note: This action will take the student to the Lessons page described above. - Next, the Syllabus link would normally display the full course outline and description in a new window, however this will not work in the demo environment.
- Students can select Grades from this menu to view their overall score and graded items within the course.
Note: This action will take the student to the Grades page described above. - Getting Help is used to provide the appropriate methods to obtaining support with this course which is not available in demo courses.
- Finally, tap the Policy option to view Michigan Virtual policies and guidelines.
Announcements & Teacher Feed
- The Announcements collapsible widget appears just below the course banner and will display important, blog style messages from the course instructor.
- Teacher Feed is also a collapsible widget that will be displayed below Announcements and will be used to engage in student conversations and to push assignments.