Instructional Model
The DoDEA Virtual High School (DVHS) Program was created to provide supplementary academic opportunities for military-connected students. DoDEA Virtual High School courses are specifically designed to be delivered online.
The DVHS Instructional Model is Appendix 2 of the DoDEA Administrative Instruction 1386.01: DoDEA Virtual High School Programs.Â
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All DVHS courses are taught by certified DoDEA teachers who have been hired by the DVHS.
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DVHS students must first be enrolled in a local DoDEA brick and mortar school to attend the DVHS; once enrolled in their local DoDEA school, eligible students can select up to two supplemental courses each semester with the DVHS.*
*Special Programs Eligibility: Students approved for the Non-DoDEA School Program (NDSP) or the Expanded Eligibility Participation Program (E2P2) are also eligible for enrollment in the DVHS. Please see our website for information on these programs.
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Local DoDEA Middle and High school counselors are responsible for requesting each student’s DVHS course(s) through the DSIS workflow. The local DoDEA counselor also requests any withdrawals through the DSIS workflow. Once accepted, the local DoDEA counselor is responsible for notifying students of enrollment status.
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DVHS courses, curriculum, and services do not encompass the full continuum of educational options available at DoDEA brick and mortar schools. The options for courses and services within DVHS may differ from those offered at other DoDEA schools.
a. Accredited: Each DVHS course is specifically designed to be delivered virtually. Whether contracted through a vendor or developed by the Virtual High School, all DVHS courses meet DoDEA’s College and Career Standards for grade level and curricular area.
b. Course access: All course materials are accessed through the DoDEA Learning Management System. Once enrolled, courses are available to students at any time on any day (asynchronous delivery).
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Students must have a local facilitator and a designated class period on their local DoDEA schedule for each DVHS class in which they are enrolled.
a. Location: Though students have a designated period during the school day in which to work on their DVHS course, they can access the course at any time from any computer with a working internet connection.
b. Special Programs: The designated class period applies only to students enrolled in a local DoDEA school.
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Courses are not self-paced. All students are provided a schedule with required due dates in each course.
i. To complete their assignments, students may have to work at times other than their designated class period, to include seminar or at home.
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Regular attendance in a DVHS course is expected and is linked to student academic success. Physical attendance is taken by the facilitator in the local DoDEA school. Online course attendance is automatically monitored each time a student logs in and/or submits an assignment.
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DVHS Teachers and students are often located in different regions and time zones. Most courses include students from multiple time zones.
b. DVHS Teachers have duty hours that provide students the opportunity to meet synchronously (in real time) with their DVHS Teacher via the DoDEA instant messenger or web conferencing tools.
c. The DVHS Teacher workday may include early mornings or evenings to support students in other time zones.
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a. Instruction occurs when students engage with embedded course materials, with other students, and with the teacher.
b. Direct instruction includes student engagement with announcements, curriculum, video, audio, resource materials, and written or verbal feedback from teachers.
c. Learning occurs when students interact with the curriculum, video, audio, and resource materials embedded in their course before completing their assignments. Students then complete, or attempt to complete, their assignments according to their assignment schedule.
- i. At times, this may require students to work together, to work on materials outside of their designated class period, to review materials, or to seek assistance from the teacher.
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When students require additional support or instruction, students and teachers may interact synchronously through individual or small group meetings using a DoDEA digital collaboration platform.
a. Each course is designed in such a way that students can work through the material (and the assignments) before meeting with teachers (asynchronous delivery).
b. When students have questions or difficulty with an assignment, students first attempt completion to the best of their ability, then reach out to the teacher for one-on-one synchronous support.
c. Synchronous support is generally provided during duty hours to students one-on-one or in small groups as needed. It is rarely provided to the whole class. Synchronous meetings may also be scheduled with the teacher.
d. Because of time zone differences, synchronous sessions may be scheduled outside of what is considered a traditional school day. All synchronous sessions will be scheduled at a reasonable time for participants.
e. Teachers may require one-on-one or small group sessions with students.
- i. When scheduled by their teachers, students are required to attend synchronous sessions unless excused. These meetings may occur outside of the regular school day.
- ii. Students may also schedule synchronous meetings with their teacher.
The DoDEA Virtual High School provides multiple avenues for technological support to students.
a. First, students should always reach out to their DVHS teacher and local school Facilitator if they are having any technical issues. Most issues are resolved quickly by the teacher or the local school Facilitator.
b. When students have a more complicated issue, they can access the DVHS worldwide help desk—the link is posted in each course. The DVHS help desk connects students with the next DVHS Virtual Support Team member on duty who can provide assistance for any additional help they may need.
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Use the button above to access the Help Desk form. It can also be found in each course and on the DVHS Homepage.
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For further information about the DVHS program, please visit the DVHS Program website.
