COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp’s move to eLearning this week has resulted in a few students having connectivity or internet issues, but has mainly been smooth.
Monday marked the return of districtwide eLearning after 12 weeks of offering both in-person and remote learning.
“We’ve had a handful of students who have come in who have connectivity issues. And we’ve stated that if they do have issues, they can come in and access the buildings. We have spaces set aside and supervision covered for that,” said Director of Secondary Education Bill Jensen.
BRIDGE students and students who were in-person prior to Monday are using itslearning, whereas students enrolled in Columbus Virtual Pathway are using the platform Edgeunity.
For those needing support or information, BCSC has an eLearning website set up that includes a Frequently Asked Questions page for common inquiries. The site can be found by going to bcscschools.org and clicking on the eLearning icon. Questions can also be directed to [email protected].
There is also an eLearning hotline that can be reached at 812-418-0252. Director of Technology Nick Williams said that the hotline is a callback system. While families can leave messages at anytime, the official hotline hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
About 200 calls came into the hotline on Monday, along with about 170 work orders from BCSC staff members, Williams said. On the first day of eLearning last spring, more than 400 calls came in, including staff members seeking assistance.
For some families, the primary problem is getting access to the internet in the first place.
“Perhaps the biggest challenge for us is ensuring that every family, every child, has adequate, robust access to the internet,” Superintendent Jim Roberts said. “… Hotspots are a part of our efforts to make sure that students have what they need.”
Those in need of hotspots may call the hotline at 812-418-0252 or email [email protected] to schedule pickup.
In addition to hotspots, BCSC has a map of free Wi-Fi locations in and around Columbus can be viewed on the district’s eLearning website. There is also a list of external Wi-Fi locations available outside of BCSC schools.
However, the site notes, “Not all Wi-Fi locations will be available due to social distancing recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. Please call the location before arriving. Make sure a trusted parent or guardian accompanies students to any internet access site.”
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
