Guidance Support
While our administrative staff are always available to answer general inquiries, sometimes you (or your parents!) might want to schedule a specific time to discuss your academic situation in greater detail with a knowledgeable counsellor.
That’s why we’ve made it easy for students to schedule one-on-one guidance calls with our counsellors! Current and prospective students are encouraged to connect with us to:
- better understand graduation requirements
- discuss pathway questions
- receive help with course selection
- answer post-secondary application questions
- discuss out-of-province or international considerations
- mental health concerns, including social or emotional support
- address any other concerns you may have
OVS offers this service to all students, free of charge! Appointments are available 7 days a week.
Follow the link below to schedule your guidance appointment today!
Click here to book an appointment
Student Success
Flexible, self-paced learning doesn’t mean students are left entirely to their own devices! Our teachers monitor attendance patterns for their students and will work with them – and their parents/guardians, where appropriate – to offer added support if they notice they are not progressing in their course or logging in regularly. After every 30-day period of inactivity, our student success team will reach out via email with gentle reminders and offers of support. Our success advisors are happy to work with students one-on-one to design custom study plans that suit their pace and schedule. (Or, see below for their tips on creating one yourself!)
Set Yourself Up for Success: Designing a Study Schedule
Although OVS allows up to 1 year of access to each course, we find that students are most successful when they work at a consistent pace. To help you schedule your time appropriately, here are some helpful tips and benchmarks from our Student Success team!
- Consider when you want (or need) to complete this course by. Then, mentally set your target completion date one week prior to that date to provide a small cushion and allow for processing.
- Make a list of what is required for your course. Your course handbook will be helpful in constructing this outline. Be sure to note down the number of lessons in each unit of study, as well as any graded assignments in that unit (these are listed in Gradebook – if it’s not in Gradebook, it is not graded). At this initial stage, don’t worry about noting individual homework tasks – these will be factored into the lesson timing in the framework below.
- Reflect on how much time you can reliably dedicate to studying each week. Be wary of setting a goal that is too ambitious to be maintained in the long-term. It will serve you better to reliably set aside 2-3 hours per week, than to say you will study 2-3 hours each day, only to fall into the habit not holding yourself accountable to your goal.
A good benchmark to aim for is 1-1.5 hours every other weeknight – or 3-5 hours per week, divided over whichever days/evenings best suit your schedule.
Once you have compiled this information, use the framework below to design a custom study plan that suits your unique schedule!
Lessons:
A good benchmark to start with when deciding how much time to allow for watching lessons is to budget approximately 1.5 hours per lesson. This includes watching the lesson, reading any corresponding materials, making notes, and completing a selection of questions from the corresponding homework. Of course, depending on your learning style and familiarity with the concepts in any given course, this may vary significantly.
Homework:
At OVS, homework is entirely optional, meaning you only need to complete as much as you feel necessary to solidify your understanding of a given concept. Often, solutions will be provided for you to self-check your work. Once you are confident about your knowledge in a given area, you are free to move forward! If you run into difficulty, be sure to reach out to your teacher with photos or explanations of your reasoning so they can help steer you back towards the path of success!
Tests:
Whenever possible, allow yourself at least 3 dedicated study days to review key concepts before writing a unit test. Be sure to check the “Resources” tab of your course to download any practice tests that are available – these are the best form of preparation! When you are ready to write your test, set aside a full 4-hour period during which time you can write your test in peace and quiet. (Note: Tests aren’t designed to take you the full 4 hours, but carve out that much time, just in case you do need it.)
The Final Exam:
Be sure to allow yourself at least one full week to review your notes, your previous tests, and re-watch lessons in areas you didn’t fully understand the first time through. Be sure to check the resources tab of your course for a practice exam to ensure you are well-prepared for the real thing.