Connection High School Online
Disclosure
Please be sure to also read the Connection High FAQ located on our school’s website
Learning Management System (LMS) - Canvas
Our Learning Management System (the system that we use to
deliver online content) is called Canvas. This is a common,
online, learning platform that is used by many K-12 schools as
well as nearly all colleges & universities in Utah.
Getting Started with Canvas
Many Granite School District students are already familiar with
Canvas from their home school’s face to face courses. However,
that is not the case for all students. A detailed quickstart guide
can be found here: http://guides.instructure.com/m/8470
Setting Your Preferences in Canvas
Be sure to take time to set your notification preferences in
Canvas. The tutorial on how to do this is in the quickstart guide
or can be found here: http://guides.instructure.com/s/2204/m/8470/l/73162-how-do-iset-my-notification-preferences
Contacting the Instructor
Communication between student and instructor is vital to
online learning success. The instructor should always be the
first contact when there is a question about the course.
Teachers can be emailed through the student’s “Inbox” within
Canvas. This is located on the top right side of the screen. They
may also be reached through Granite District email. Remember
your rules of netiquette when communicating with instructors.
Attendance
Students are expected to check their courses every other day,
just as they would during a block schedule in school. If a
student doesn’t regularly log in and complete work for an
entire term they will be dropped from the course at the end of
the term. If a student is dropped from a course they can reregister for the class at the beginning of the next term with the
help of their home school counselor.
Assignments
Students are expected to complete assigned work to the best of
their ability. Grades are based on the quality and accuracy of
submitted work. It is important that students check the
information in each course for current grading and assignment
criteria. For example, some instructors may require that
students earn at least 70% on a quiz before the next
assignment will be unlocked. Some instructors will allow
students to re-submit assignments for a higher score while
others will not. It is very important to read all of the
information provided by the instructor in order to complete the
assigned work correctly.
Accepted File Formats
The Canvas system works best with certain file types. If work is
submitted in anything other than these file formats, it will not
be graded. Please submit work in one of these following
formats:
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Word documents: .doc or .docx files
Adobe documents: .pdf
Presentation Files: .ppt or .pptx
Media Files: .jpg (picture), .mpg3 or 4, .mpeg3 or 4 (audio
or video)
 Google docs: As long as you share it correctly.
These files cannot be opened by instructors:
 Cloud files you have hosted in Amazon, iTunes etc.
 iWorks files that save as .pages files.
Adobe .pdf files will always load in Canvas. To do this in Word,
Click “File,” and “Save As.”
The box to name and select where you want your work saved
pops up. At the bottom you will see “Save as Type,” click on the
drop down menu and select “PDF.”
Web Browser
It is important to note that web browsers (and versions of each
web browser) can effect user experience when doing anything
on the Internet. If you are having difficulty with something in
Canvas it is worth trying a different browser.
Mozilla Firefox is generally the web browser that works best
with Canvas. Get the free download here:
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/
Grades
Students will receive the grade they have earned when they
complete all work and pass the final exam for each term. The
grade & credit will be posted on their transcript and will effect
GPA. If a student does not complete a course that is required
for graduation, they will be deficient in credit. Teachers will
keep grades updated in Canvas and will post summary grades
to students’ transcripts. Students and parents can view scores
of individual assignments through the Canvas course “Grades”
button located on the left hand side of a course page. Online
course grades cannot be monitored using Granite District
Gradebook located in the parent/student portal.
Course Due Dates
Each assignment has a due date. Students may or may not be
marked late on assignments depending on the instructor. In
some courses all assignments need to be completed by the end
of the term before the student can take the proctored final.
Also, some instructors will lock assignments after a certain
time. If a student stays close to the due dates when completing
assignments they will be right on track to complete the course
by the due date. Students must carefully read the instructors
information as the due dates and deadlines are well-defined in
each course.
During the school year - the teacher will set a last day to
complete coursework for a date in the middle of April (see
course for exact date).
During the summer - the teacher will set a last day to complete
coursework for a date one week prior to the start of fall term
(see course for exact date).
Dropping a Course
Students may drop a course at time before the term ends. To
drop an online course during the school year contact your
home school counselor. To drop an online course during the
summer, contact Granite Connection High School Offices at
385-646-5435. If a student does not regularly log in and
complete work for an entire term they will be automatically
dropped from the course at the end of the term. If a student is
dropped from a course they can re-register for the class at the
beginning of the next term with the help of their home school
counselor
Final Proctored Exam
Students will be required to pass (at least 70%) a final
proctored exam to earn credit in each course. A proctor is a
person who watches over a student during an examination.
These proctored exams are taken in person at Granite
Connection High School (501 E. 3900 S.). Final proctored exam
scores do NOT impact students’ final letter grades. Students
will receive the grade that they earn through assignments,
projects, quizzes, etc. in Canvas. Passing the final proctored
exam will unlock the grade for the student.
Final proctored exams may only be taken one time and should
be taken very seriously. This exam is our way of ensuring it was
the student who completed the coursework.
To schedule your final proctored exam, students need to call
the school at 385-646-5435 or sign up online through the
Canvas course. Students must make an appointment in advance
and have a photo ID to take the exam. Please see the cartoon
below.
Proctored Exam Due Dates
Online courses taken during the school year – the teacher for
each course will set the last day to take the proctored final.
This will be a date in the middle of May (see course for exact
date).
Online courses taken during summer – the teacher for each
course will set the last day to take the proctored final. This will
be a date during the first week of fall term (see course for exact
date).
Observing a Course
Parents and counselors can view their students’ courses as
observers, which means they can see how their student is doing
in each of their courses. Parents or counselors interested in this
option following the steps on this page:
http://guides.instructure.com/m/4144/l/73163-how-do-i-sign-up-for-a-canvas-account-as-aparent
Cheating/Plagiarism
Cheating or plagiarism on a test or assignment will result in an
“F” for that work and possibly the entire course. Cheating
includes using any information from the course while taking the
final proctored exam, using someone else’s work and turning it
in as your own, or letting parents or others do your coursework
for you.
Plagiarism is copying anyone’s words and submitting them as
your own. Do not copy information from anywhere, word for
word, unless it is credited to the author in your work.
Do not copy and paste information from the web into your
assignment. Even paraphrasing without the author’s consent is
considered plagiarism. Your teachers will be checking your work
for plagiarism.
Internet Etiquette = Netiquette
Sometimes people are willing to do and say things over the
internet that they know they wouldn’t or shouldn’t do in
person. Please keep netiquette rules in mind when interacting
in a class.
 Check your spellings
 Avoid all CAPS
 Avoid personal insults
 Don’t lie
 Avoid writing lengthy responses
 Respect others privacy
 No slang
 Avoid spamming
 Stick to the topic
 Never give your user ID or password to anyone