COURSE PLANNING & EXPERIENCE

AI-generated work (like ChatGPT) is emerging and evolving. It is advanced and advancing more every day. AI-generated platforms can write essays, form articulate responses, answer test questions, edit and revise work, brainstorm ideas, locate source material or quotes from novels and add those into text, and more. This is problematic because AI-generated work is not necessarily taken from a single identifiable source on the internet; rather, these responses are composed from multiple places and are “newly” generated. Additionally, these platforms can be told to change tone and wording to make it seem more like a student wrote it. This does not mean, however, that using AI-generated work is not plagiarism. AI-generated work is still considered plagiarism and will be handled as such. 

Students should commit to generating their own ideas in conversation with their teachers, peers, and approved resources given by or approved by their teachers. Using AI may be tempting, but it ultimately squelches a student’s academic growth and critical thinking skills. When students do not learn to generate and articulate their own ideas, it is ultimately a disservice to their faith, their academic pursuits, and their careers. 

While Excelsior Classes teachers will do what they can to prevent and identify the use of AI-generated work (including running work through ChatGPT Zero and similar sites), the responsibility to work ethically ultimately falls to parents and students. Please understand individual teachers’ expectations regarding the use of any outside sources in conjunction with course assignments and abide by those expectations.

Teachers are responsible for setting their individual late work policies and for due dates while providing firm accountability for your student. If a student must miss work due to illness or death in the family, please notify the teacher as soon as possible. If the student will miss due to vacation or other school opportunities, please notify the teacher well in advance. In order to keep our grading turnaround timely, most teachers do not typically accept or grade excessively late work, but work may be acquired in advance. Extensions are not normally provided for reasons other than illness or death in the family. 

We request that parents notify teachers of illness or emergencies.

Excelsior Classes strives to provide meaningful accountability, fair treatment of students, timely turnaround of grades, and an opportunity to learn prioritization and time-management skills. We appreciate parents understanding that requests for extensions (frequent or not for reasons specified above) will not be honored in order to support those objectives.

Work not submitted in the format specified by the teacher (e.g., a picture instead of a Google Doc file), will not be accepted and will be given a zero until submitted within the guidelines specified by the teacher for acceptance of late work. All work must be submitted within Canvas for a grade. We cannot accept emailed submissions.

If a student runs into a technical problem, a screenshot is helpful and should be sent to the teacher immediately. Some teachers may require parent verification of the technical issue. 

NOTE: Excelsior Classes courses run to a strict calendar schedule; it is not possible to provide students with open windows of late submission. In order to maintain our high standards and course integrity, we do not excuse major assignments or large amounts of work, nor do we allow unlimited access to our materials past the date of course completion.

This policy outlines expectations for student conduct. Parents sign an agreement during the registration process acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the policy.

This policy is posted on the Home page of all Canvas courses:

Our Excelsior Students are the best students! 

To keep our learning community thriving and comfortable as well as conducive to learning, we ask students to do the following:

• To be diligent in participation and to remain attentive and focused in class.
• To promote considerate and respectful dialogue between all students.
• To treat everyone, including the teacher, with respect.
• To refrain from gossip or unwholesome language.
• To be honest and forthright in academic work.
• To refrain from disruptive language or behavior by presenting in a non-distracting, wholesome way when on camera (dress & background).

Failure to comply with these guidelines while in a Zoom classroom or in the Excelsior Classes Canvas instance can result in disciplinary action (ranging from dismissal from live classes for a period of time or automatic grades of zeroes for an act of plagiarism or cheating). These are handled on a case-by-case basis by the teacher and/or administration.

Students sending abusive or threatening emails/messages to other students, teachers, or administration may be banned from live attendance altogether or even removed from classes. There are no refunds in these instances.

Excelsior Classes recognizes that students are students and not adults. Any necessary discipline of a student will be approached with concern for the student’s spiritual, moral, and academic growth. We desire to offer both justice and mercy. Discipline of any student remains a private matter between the student, the teacher, the parent, and any relevant counselors, and it will not be discussed with others, including any students reporting a violation of the Student Conduct Policy.

The Student Conduct Policy does not extend outside of our Excelsior Classes platforms except in extreme circumstances (e.g., threat of bodily harm, violence, pornography, etc.). Parents are encouraged to monitor student use of external communication tools and  technologies.

Students involved in any of our honor societies or clubs or holding a leadership position are expected to exhibit exemplary behavior reflective of high moral character and represent themselves and Excelsior Classes in an honorable way whether in class or outside of class. Those subject to disciplinary action may have their membership in societies and clubs revoked and/or offices removed. 

Any student who has been subject to disciplinary measures will not be considered for scholarships or other awards.

Excelsior Classes shares student information with teachers to facilitate communication between the student, parent, and teacher. Parents are always copied on any communication to a student. 

Please note that Excelsior Classes does not use the internal inbox within the Canvas LMS so that parents can be copied on all communication with students. Teachers cannot respond to messages within Canvas. Students should get in the practice of copying parents when emailing teachers so that they may receive a timely response. Messages sent within the Canvas app may not receive any response, so please make sure to use your own email system when contacting teachers or administration.

Excelsior Classes does not share any information with outside parties unless requested by the parent to do so.

We ask that students not share private information such as phone numbers, social media information, or other communication platforms such as discord servers, etc,. in Excelsior’s Canvas classrooms or in our Zoom classrooms. While we know these are common forms of communication today, Excelsior Classes does not promote, endorse, sponsor, or monitor any such extraneous platform activity. Parents are encouraged to monitor student use of such technologies.

From time to time, teachers may post a “contact outside of class” discussion post in which students may post an email address only. Teachers will alert parents to the existence of this discussion post prior to its opening, and students are permitted to post an email address in the discussion forum only with parent permission. If you choose to let your students share their email, parents are responsible for monitoring any technologies used.

For students who wish to connect having met each other in one of our Excelsior Classes events, a parent may write to registration@excelsiorclasses.com and request to be placed in contact with the parent of the student. The staff in registration will connect the parents first, and they can take any subsequent action or have further communication themselves.

You can learn more about our privacy policy (including data use for the website) here.

Since parents are copied on all emails, we do not use the inbox function in our LMS to communicate. All communication is done using email so that parents can be copied.

We ask that students get in the habit of copying the parent’s email address when corresponding with teachers.

We also value student privacy. We ask that students not share private information such as phone numbers, social media information, or other communication platforms such as discord servers, etc,. in Excelsior’s Canvas classrooms or in our Zoom classrooms. While we know these are common forms of communication today, Excelsior Classes does not promote, endorse, sponsor, or monitor any such extraneous platform activity. Parents are encouraged to monitor student use of such technologies.

From time to time, teachers may post a “contact outside of class” discussion post in which students may post an email address only. Teachers will alert parents to the existence of this discussion post prior to its opening, and students are permitted to post an email address in the discussion forum only with parent permission. If you choose to let your students share their email, parents are responsible for monitoring any technologies used.

For students who wish to connect having met each other in one of our Excelsior Classes events, a parent may write to registration@excelsiorclasses.com and request to be placed in contact with the parent of the student. The staff in registration will connect the parents first, and they can take any subsequent action or have further communication themselves.

Excelsior Classes features live, online courses that are engaging, college-preparatory, and couched in a Christian worldview. 

What do we mean by live?

Each teacher hosts a live session each week, with some math courses meeting twice per week. The teacher presents and instructs the classroom of students in a live setting, and students are encouraged to participate in the discussion, lecture, breakout sessions, etc., using the tools incorporated in Zoom and other online tools such as chat, video, and microphone. The courses are not pre-recorded, and personal interaction between the teacher and students allows for enhanced and customized learning.

Excelsior Classes allows teachers to use discretion with students’ use of both audio and video. Our most important goal is learning and spending time wisely in the live sessions. To that end, teachers are always on video except when experiencing technical difficulties that require shutting off video for a short period of time. 

Excelsior Classes teachers do not always require students to be on camera. It has been our experience that requiring “all on cameras all the time” is the equivalent of sitting everyone in multiple circles in a physical classroom. It’s hard to maintain focus for both instructors and learners, and it can be highly distracting for certain modes of learning. Our flexible, teacher-discretion policy allows teachers to decide when to “sit in circles.” 😁 It allows families a measure of privacy if desired. It also promotes better classroom management, limits distractions, and helps students with social anxiety. Some learners find multiple small screens distracting, and sometimes noise and background activities inside other homes are not optimal for learning. We prefer to err on the side of flexibility for teachers and learners than to enforce a rigid rule that may actually hamper learning outcomes.

It is important to note that the effectiveness of Zoom classrooms and video-based learning can vary depending on the teaching strategies, content, student age, and subject matter. 

While Zoom classrooms and video can offer several advantages in terms of access, flexibility, and interactive learning, their impact on student outcomes is complex and multifaceted. It is crucial to consider various factors, including technological limitations, distractions, and the need for effective teaching strategies, to optimize the learning experience and enhance student outcomes. 

We trust that our teachers can manage these various challenges and incorporate tools and technologies to accomplish learning outcomes while building community. For these various reasons, teachers may limit student video at certain times during class. Having said this, we encourage the use of microphone and video by students when deemed appropriate by the teacher. We want to build community!

Sometimes teachers require student video and microphone use for assignments such as presentations. There are no exceptions for participation in this regard. Check with individual teachers to find out if a particular course requires presentations.

Sometimes students need a letter of reference for college admissions or scholarship opportunities and want to request from an Excelsior Classes instructor. Students should consider whether the teacher knows them well enough, whether the student has participated well in class, and whether the teacher can vouch for personal details. Often teachers are not in a position to provide adequate feedback on these areas, and you may want to consider asking another adult. This blog is an excellent overview of the reference letter “dilemma.”

Nevertheless, many of our teachers do write letters of reference. Some considerations before asking would include:

Teachers ask that these be made well in advance. Requests made without sufficient time may not be fulfilled.

Teachers would want to see the information about the opportunity you are applying for as well as additional information about the applicant that might be important to know. Please have that information ready for the teacher when asking for the reference.

Teachers need clear information on how to submit and when.

Teachers may or may not want to share the feedback with you. If the teacher does not want to share, we ask that you respect their process and privacy.