Education, Citizenship and Youth
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 school.
The majority of Grade 9 to 12 courses are offered on a six-day, rotating timetable, during the regular school day. There are select Grade 12 courses that are offered outside of the 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 twice during the 6-day cycle. All courses are one credit courses with the exception of Grade 10 Health (25G) which is a half-credit course.
Courses timetabled outside the school day are 50 minutes in duration, and occur twice during the week. All courses are one credit with the exception of Grade 12 Calculus (45S).
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 two 40 or 50 minutes 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
June 6 - Registration deadline
June 13 - Release of tentative timetable
June 20 - Release of final timetable
September 8-12 - Registrations from June are faxed to schools for fall verification
September 15-17 - 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 18-19 - Course materials are sent out to schools
September 26 - First day of classes
October 17 - Withdrawal deadline
October 21 - Invoices sent to schools and school divisions
Students must register for second semester by January 9, 2009. Semester 2 courses will begin in February 2009.
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.
Please send completed 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
2008-09 Teacher Mediated Option course fees are:
Half-credit courses $130
Full-credit courses $175
*Invoices will be sent to your school after the fifth class.
**Payment will remain due in October even though registrations are made in June.
Refund Policies
Teacher Mediated Option course fees include a $15 non-refundable administration fee. A refund of $115 per one-half credit and $160 per full credit will be provided if a student withdraws from the course within the first five audio teleconference classes. 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. The TMO office fax number is 204-325-1707.
Textbooks
Textbooks listed in the TMO Course 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.
Supplies
Many courses have minimum supplies requirements. Schools must purchase supplies when registering students in any of these courses. Please check the course description for specifications.
School Responsibilities
Each participating school will provide the following:
- A contact person (or proctor), for responsibilities please refer to "Proctor Roles and Responsibilities" below.
- Only students registered in the TMO program may 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. If schools have copies of print materials from previous years, they may be reused, as required. However, if the course has a new print materials package, schools will be required to purchase them. A Course Material Order Form can be found under Forms on this website.
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 and textbooks.
- 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 month end progress reports and attendance.
- 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.
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 progress on a monthly basis starting in October.
Evaluation
Midterm and final marks are provided to the schools from the TMO office.
Schools are responsibile 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. Midterm (end of January) and final term (June) course evaluations will be forwarded to the participating schools.
School Divisions are responsible for marking the Provincial Exams effective 2008-2009.
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.
