FAQ's
Do online credits count toward my diploma?
Yes. Our courses follows the curriculum described by the Ministry of Education and therefore count as eligible credits towards your diploma.
Can anyone enrol in online courses?
All students in the Peel District School Board can enrol in courses at PASonline with the permission of their day school principal. Students not registered in the PDSB can also enrol by following the registration procedure on this website. Adults may take online courses through Peel DSB's Continuing Education dept. To find out more, go to peelschools.org/con-ed-online.
Are there real teachers delivering the courses?
Yes, Ontario-certified teachers are delivering the online courses.
Do I have to go to a classroom?
The majority of your course work will be completed using the online course content and resources. Students may be required to complete their final assessment in a supervised setting. Enough notice will be given for students to make appropriate arrangements.
How does the teacher know when I am "attending" the course?
Students are expected to submit assignments, take quizzes and participate in discussions. If you are neglecting these expected activities, teachers will be contacting you directly. At some points within the course, you may be asked to participate in a chat session, which requires you to be online at a specific time. The system can also track your activity in the course (i.e. when you logged in, which pages you have viewed, when you logged out, how much time you spent online, your IP address etc) which gives the administrator and teacher an idea of your level of activity in the course.
Does the online course take less time to work on compared to a classroom course?
Generally, you should plan to spend the same amount of time working on the course materials in an online course as you do in a classroom course. Typically a student in a full-credit (110 hour) course would spend a minimum of 50 hours online, directly engaged with the course content. The additional required time would be spent offline working on course assignments and activities.
I am not sure if I have the technical knowledge or skills to be successful in an online course. How would I know If I could do one of these courses?
Students who are successful in an online course are usually self-motivated, responsible students with good organization skills and disciplined study habits. They manage their time well, can communicate clearly electronically and have an above average facility with computers. If you possess these skills, you have most of the requirements needed to learn online. To test yourself, go to the Self-Test link on the Registration page and see how you do.
Do these courses cost any money?
Residents of Ontario who are not currently enrolled at a day school are not required to pay a tuition at PASonline. If you are registered full-time at a day school outside of Peel DSB, your school or Board would have to agree to pay a course fee of $850. Tuition fees of $1100 per course would be charged to students from outside of Ontario.
How will the teachers assess my performance in a course?
Teachers will use a variety of assessment methods including assignments, discussions, projects, quizzes, ejournals and a final assessment. Students may be required to complete their final assessment in a supervised setting. Enough notice will be given for students to make appropriate arrangements.
How will my final mark be communicated to me?
After the course has finished, your teacher will report your mark to you by email through the Course email system and your report card will be mailed to you. If you are a student in the PDSB, your mark will be automatically entered into the Student Information System (SIS). If you are not a PDSB student you must present your day school with your report card to inform them of your final mark.
How do I arrange to have a transcript sent to me?
Students who require a transcript should make the request during the registration procedure. Official transcripts will be prepared and mailed to students at the end of their course. It is the student's responsibility to forward these documents to the University or College.
Are the courses private and secure?
All student accounts are only accessible with a username and password. It must be entered to access the course and begin an online session.
How many courses can I take at one time?
If you are not registered in another school, you may wish to complete 4 or more courses in a semester ( or 8 in a school year ). It would depend on what time you can devote to your course work. Some students may only complete 2 courses over the school year.
When do courses start and end?
Our school year begins the first week of September and ends in late June. There are no summer courses at PASonline. Students work on courses anytime during the school year. There are multiple entry points during the school year to begin courses.
Does my counsellor have to sign my registration form?
Yes. Day school students are only admitted with the approval of their principal or designate, usually the guidance counsellor. If you are not registered at a day school, you do not need counsellor approval.
Technical FAQ's
What technical equipment do I need?
Please refer to the Student Information page on this website.
How do I clear my browser cache?
Follow these instructions to clear your browser's cache:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6
- Select "Internet Options". The "General" tab at the top of the popup window should be automatically selected
- In the "Temporary Internet Files" box, click the "Delete Files" button.
- Click "OK".
- Select "Edit" from the browser menu bar.
- Select "Preferences".
- Select the "Advanced" option.
- Select the "Cache" option.
- To remove all the files currently in your memory cache, click "Clear Memory Cache."
- Click "OK".
- To remove all the files currently in your disk cache, click "Clear Disk Cache."
- Click "OK".
Select "Tools" from the browser menu bar
I am having problems accessing my course after the login page.
Slow loading of login page or My Page
1. Try another browser: Mozilla (download at http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/) or Netscape (download at http://www.netscape.com
2. Check your computer for adware and spyware. You can do this by running Ad-aware ( http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/ ) and/or Spybot Search and Destroy ( http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html )
3. Though not necessary, it is always a good idea to update windows via windows update ( http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/)
4. If you are using Windows XP, check to make sure you are logged in to WindowsXP as a vaild user, not as a guest.
