Manitoba Education
Distance Learning
Teacher Mediated Option
Policies, Procedures, Fees
Senior Years Study Programs
In an effort to provide increased credit options to Manitoba students, the Teacher Mediated Option (TMO) program assists school divisions in offering courses by audio teleconferenced teacher mediated instruction. Registration for these courses are only available to students enrolled in an educational institution.
The Grade 9 to 12 courses are offered on a six-day, semester timetable, during the regular school day. After course registrations are completed, a copy of the Teacher Mediated Option timetable will be sent to registered schools.
Courses timetabled within the school day are 40 minutes in duration, and occur four times during the 6-day cycle.
All courses follow Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth curricula. Please note that the timetabled slots do not provide sufficient time for schools to meet the minimum time requirements as outlined by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (for example a day slot only provides four 40 minute sessions per school cycle/week). Teacher Mediated Option courses are similar to Independent Study courses. It is assumed that schools will schedule students into supervised classes for the rest of the required time to meet or exceed minimum time standards required. Classes may be supervised by a librarian, by a teacher, or by any arrangement that you find satisfactory.
All courses are held by audio teleconference. During class time, instructors review difficult concepts and content and answer any questions that the students might have. Instructors also pace the students and ensure the work is completed on the set schedule.
TMO students are given regular assignments that they send to the instructor via mail and/or email. Between classes students may also contact the instructor by email or by phone (toll free number).
Registrations
April 2009- Release of preliminary timetable
June 5 - Early registration deadline
June 19 - Release of final timetable
September 8 - Registrations from June are faxed to schools for fall verification
September 8-10 - Confirmation of course registration changes, withdrawals, Course Material Order Form, and purchase orders. Purchase orders will be required for all course registrations and course material purchases.
September 16 - Course materials are sent out to schools
September 24 - First day of classes
October 7 - Withdrawal deadline/ ate registration date
October 13 - Invoices sent to schools and school divisions
Students must register for second semester by January 7, 2010. Semester 2 courses will begin in February 1, 2010.
Students are registered on a first come, first served basis. Please register students early. Registrations will be accepted until the maximum 25 students is reached per course. Before any course can be offered, minimum registration may be required. Certain courses may not be offered because of insufficient enrollment. Schools will be notified when courses are not offered due to low enrollment. If the enrollment is high in certain courses, additional sections may have to be added.
For course descriptions, please refer to the TMO guide.
Please see the TMO Course Registration Form, that can be found under Forms on this website.
Please send completed course registration forms or direct inquires to:
Teacher Mediated Option
555 Main Street
Winkler MB R6W 1C4
Telephone: 204-325-1705
Toll Free: 1-800-465-9915
Fax: 204-325-1707
Email: distance.learning@gov.mb.ca
Website: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/dl/tmo/index.html
Fees
2009-10 Teacher Mediated Option course fees are
Half-credit Course — $141.70
Full-credit Course — $190.75
- Invoices will be sent to your school after the late registration/withdrawal date, for the specific semester.
- Semester 1 payment will be due in October, Semester 2 payment will be due in February.
- Payment will be made to a host division.
Refund Policies
Teacher Mediated Option course fees include a $15 non-refundable administration fee. The remaining amount will be refunded if the stufent withdraws from the course by the withdrawal date. The TMO office must be notified in writing of students withdrawing by the scheduled date in order to receive reimbursement. Please see the Course Withdrawal Form, that can be found under Forms on this website. If the student remains beyond that point, then no refund will be provided.
Textbooks
Textbooks listed in the TMO Guide identified by MTBB, may be acquired through the
Manitoba Text Book Bureau
130 - 1st Avenue West
P.O. Box 910
Souris MB R0K 2C0
Telephone: 204-483-5040
Toll free: 866-771-6822
Fax: 204-483-5041
http://www.mtbb.mb.ca
Please contact the Manitoba Text Book Bureau for prices.
Information on ordering other textbooks noted with an ISBN number can be obtained from the publisher directly.
Minimum Equipment Requirements
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth encourage schools with regular registration in the TMO program to purchase a good speaker phone with a mute button option and volume control.
The Darome Convenors used by schools are currently being phased out, as replacements and repairs are no longer available.
Multiple classes are scheduled at the same time and each class requires its own speakerphone or teleconference system.
Supplies
Many courses have minimum supplies requirements. Schools must purchase supplies when registering students in any of these courses. A list of resources that will be required for each course wil be available in September for those enrolled. Please check the course description for specifications and ensure relevant technology is available prior to registering.
Host School Division Responsibilities
MECy collaborates with participating school divisions to establish a host division. The host division collects cousre registration fees and distributes the instructors' fee for service.
School Responsibilities
Each participating school will provide the following:
- A contact person (or proctor) for responsibilities please refer to "Proctor Responsibilities" below.
- A method for students registered in the TMO program to purchase print materials from the Teacher Mediated Option office in Winkler at a cost of $22 each plus GST ($1.10). Please note: print materials are non-refundable. The Course Material Order Form can be found under Forms on this website.
- Payment of the course registration fees to the host school division.
Proctor Responsibilities
Schools that register students for Teacher Mediated Option (TMO) courses appoint a TMO Proctor. The specific supportive functions that Teacher Mediated Option Proctors may fulfill are:
- Act as liaison between your school and the TMO staff.
- Ensure that students applying for a TMO course have the approval of the school principal/proctor. Students should have the most recent version of the course material and required supplies, textbooks, and access to relevant technology.
- Ensure that the students have the use of a speaker phone (with mute and volume option) to access TMO audio teleconferences and if possible, in an enclosed room to enhance sound quality.
- Act as liaison between your school, TMO Instructor and staff by administering tests and exams. Submit and return assignments, tests, projects, or essays to and from students and TMO Instructors.
- Monitor student progress and attendence.
- Schedule regular meetings with student(s) and review the formative/summative reports.
- Provide students with encouragement for regular and punctual attendance.
- Monitoring deadlines for students to complete assignments and course on time.
- Ensure that parent(s)/legal guardian(s) are aware of student progress and attendance.
- Assist students in resolving any difficulties they may encounter during the completion of a TMO course in consultation with the TMO Instructor and TMO Consultant.
- Archive all communication from the TMO Instructors in a binder for easy student access.
Teacher Mediated Option - A Handbook for Schools/Divisions with detailed roles and responsibilities will be distributed to each proctor at the beginning of the school year.
Attendance
Attending class provides an opportunity to engage in conversations with the instructor and classmates. Participation enhances students learning opportunities beyond independent study. Being on time is expected as it is critical in setting the tone for each class and demonstrates respect for other students and the instructor.
The TMO instructors will report student attendance and other learning behaviours on the formative/summative reports.
Evaluation
Formative and summative reports will be provided to the schools from the TMO office throughout the semester.
Schools are responsible for creating and providing a report card to parents, and for reporting final marks to the Manitba Student Records Unit.
Examinations
Tests and examinations are administered by the proctors in the local schools and marked by the TMO instructor.
Provincial Standards Examinations
School Divisions are responsible for ordering, administering, and marking the Provincial Standards Exams effective 2008-2009. Visit the Policies and Procedures for Standards Tests website for more information.
Prerequisites
It is the responsibility of professional staff in each school to ensure that each student has attained the level of skill needed to process the content of any proposed course. The sequential development of skill or content inherent in certain subjects should be observed (e.g., vocational skill areas, languages, mathematics, physics, and chemistry).
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of another's words or ideas without giving credit where credit is due. Some examples are:
- Downloading material in whole or part from the Internet.
- Copying word for word from published or unpublished work.
- Paraphrasing published or unpublished material without bibliographic notation.
If this becomes an issue, the instructor and the student will follow the school's policy.
