I want to take an online course, but I don’t know if I have the necessary skills?

The good news is that you almost certainly already have the necessary skills. The most important skills are that you can navigate the Internet, use email and have basic word processor skills. Of course, some courses may require a little more, but in these cases you will receive support from your teacher in learning the skills you need.

I’ve forgotten my password or username, how can I get back into my courses?

Our Moodle system has a mechanism for recovering your username and resetting your password. To use it go here (you will need to know and be able to access the email account associated with your account). Do not create a second account as it may be deleted; it is better to take the time to recover your original account. If the above link doesn’t help, please contact us (details at the bottom of this page) and we will happily help you get back into your old account.

Can I access my courses at any time?

Yes, certainly. We do our best to make sure that you can access your courses when you need to. Outages are generally short and happen at weekends. These are required to make sure that we can continue to provide the highest quality of service.

Can I use Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, or any other Internet browser?

We recommend that you use Firefox or Google Chrome as these browsers are better at displaying our site and are less likely to deviate from the Internet standards on which our site relies.

What are the system requirements for accessing NCDE content?

To do an NCDE course you will need a computer with:

• Firefox or Google Chrome
• Full Flash and Java support
• Office suite (LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice)
• The ability to play audio and video files (VLC)

These browsers are freely available and there are free software packages which meet the other requirements too, such as LibreOffice, OpenOffice and VLC. Unfortunately, we cannot support students using iOS devices (Apple hand-held devices, such as iPad, iPod and iPhone) as these do not have full versions of Firefox or Google Chrome, and Flash is officially not supported by Apple. NCDES doesn’t provide students with technical support for their computer or the aforementioned software.

What file types can NCDE handle?

While NCDE has the technical capacity to handle a very large variety of file types, for student work we require that the students only use the following formats for submitted work unless clearly requested or permitted to do otherwise by a member of the NCDES staff:

For documents:

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .rtf only)
• Portable Document Format (.pdf)

For presentations and similar:

• Microsoft Powerpoint (.ppt)
• Portable Document Format (.pdf)

For video:

• Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
• MPEG (.mpg)

For audio:

• MP3 (.mp3)
• Wave for very short clips (.wav)
• WMA (.wma)

For images:

• JPEG (.jpg)
• PNG (.png)

How do I go about reporting an issue with an NCDE course or the NCDE website?

The most important thing is to provide as much information as possible. We recommend taking a screen shot of the problem, describe how you found the problem and how it is affecting you. If you need help taking a screen shot, have a look here. Include the full browser application window in the screen shot. In the case of Moodle and course related issues, email this information to your teacher. Otherwise, email the information to clerical@ncdes.ca.

What is Distributed Learning and will it suit me?

Distributed learning is learning without your teacher being physically present. At NCDE this means that you can learn anywhere and any time you can access the Internet. You can take one course to a full course load, whatever best suits your needs. We encourage all students to make regular and steady progress, but NCDE students study at their own pace and don’t have to stick to the same pace as a regular class. If you are considering distributed learning, we suggest you contact us for more information and to determine if DL is the right choice for you.

How do I register?

It’s really easy. Just click on the Enrol button on our home page, select your program, and fill in the forms. As soon as you have done this you will receive an email with your username, password and a link to our Moodle so you can start learning. You could be working in your course in less than 5 minutes. If you don’t like the course, just let us know and we’ll remove you from it. You can always come back to us whenever you want.

For K-9 students, parents must plan their student’s program with the teacher prior to being added to courses.

I don’t have Internet access, can I have a printed course?

Since Internet access is so crucial to our course material, we can’t currently offer a printed course, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t save some course content to help you continue studying during brief periods without Internet access. Assignment templates may also be saved to work on while offline.

Where can I find a list of the courses you offer?

Click on the “Courses and Programs” link above and that will take you to a list of the courses and programs we offer. It’s quite a long list, so be sure to check it thoroughly.

How many courses can I take?

You can take anywhere from 1 to a full school course load. If you have any questions about your own circumstances, please contact us.

What times can I access my courses?

Since NCDE is always open you can work wherever and whenever you want. Teachers are normally available between 9am and 4pm during regular school terms and are not available at weekends.

I’ve moved, changed phone number or my parent/guardian has changed their email. What should I do?

Email clerical@ncdes.ca with a description of the change and we will update your records so that they reflect the current situation. If your email address has changed, you can log into Moodle and make the appropriate change in your profile.

Why might I no longer see my course(s)?

If you haven’t been active in a course for a long time you may have been removed from the course, but fear not, no work has been lost and all you need to do is contact clerical@ncdes.ca to let them know to put you back in the course. You can be back working very quickly and won’t have to start over.

Please select from the following

Exam Supervision Form

Code of Conduct

Grad Planner

Firefox and Google Chrome are the recommended web browsers for NCDE online courses. We do not recommend the use of Internet Explorer or Safari.

COURSES REQUIRING A DEPOSIT

NCDE has some courses which require a $100.00 deposit. (Please refer to list below for courses requiring a deposit.)  The deposit may be made by credit card, debit card, cash, cheque or money order made out to NCDE.  The deposit will be refunded when all texts/materials are returned to NCDE. The deposit will cover one or more courses requiring texts/materials.

Please contact our office by emailing clerical@ncdes.ca or by calling either 250-635-7944 or toll free 1-800-663-3865 with payment details as soon as possible.

NOTE: Text deposits are refundable up to two years from your date of payment. Please contact our clerical staff for further information.

Listed below are courses requiring a $100.00 deposit:

English 12

IDENTIFICATION

Identification/proof of BC residency is required for all adult students, and for school age students not attending another school as per the BC Ministry of Education. It will help speed up your registration if it is sent in right away.  We will accept a BC Driver’s License, BC Care Card, or BC ID.  If you are not able to provide any of these documents please contact us to discuss alternative means of proving B.C. residency.  ***If you have a digital camera or smart phone, you can take a snapshot of your ID/proof of residency and email it to clerical@ncdes.ca