OdysseyWare is an online learning platform that provides web-based courses to schools. It offers 21st century learning opportunities through innovative eLearning solutions. The document provides guidance on navigating and using various features of OdysseyWare, including how to access assignments, view grades and feedback, communicate with teachers, and get help. It emphasizes completing all assignments by their due dates to keep progress on track.

1. OdysseyWare Orientation
What is OdysseyWare?
ODYSSEYWARE provides web based courses that are innovative
eLearning solutions to schools nationwide. With more than thirty years of
experience behind them, they offer 21st century learning opportunities for
today's students.
The Help Page
Under the What’s New page.
• Watch the brief tutorial video and as cool as it is, I know you probably want
to get to your assignments. You can uncheck the "Always show after sign
in" box and you will go directly to Assignments starting with your next log
in.
How do I see the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page?
• Click on the Help tab across the top right and click on the FAQ button on the
left. There is a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the features of
OdysseyWare.
The Learn Page
How do I get to my assignments?
• You can get to your assignments in two different ways, both of which are
under the Learn page. If you have unchecked the box in What’s New (see
above!), you will go right to the Assignments tab when you log in; if you
haven’t, just click the Learn button. The Assignments tab will show you
what assignments need to be done by course. If you want to look at a single
course, or review work you have already completed, go to the Courses tab.
Why is my assignment orange?!
• If the due date for an assignment has passed, that assignment will turn
orange and the word Overdue will appear. This will happen even if you and

2. your teacher have a different schedule worked out, so don’t yell at them too
much!
What is the ɨ for on my assignment?
• That is the Info button; hover over it to see more info about that assignment.
You will also see it in the courses tab, where it will tell you even more
information.
Do I have to click on the arrow to go to my lesson?
• No way! You can click anywhere along the assignment to jump right in.
How do I get back to my course list on the Courses page?
• If you clicked on a course and want to go back to the main list you can either
use the arrow on the left side of the navigation bar or click on the Courses
tab.
In An Assignment
We offer several tools for you: Reference, Text to Speech, and other stuff:
• Check out the right side of the assignment. See that bar of icons? That’s your
Toolbar, where you will find all of the cool tools we offer. Say you want to
use Reference: you can either select a word then click the reference button
on the toolbar OR choose the tool first; it’s up to you! Also, try scrolling up
and down and see what the toolbar does…how cool is that?!
For each lesson, where are the questions?
• Navigation Bar to the rescue! Look at that line along the top of your
assignment, the one that’s been following you around as you scrolled up and
down. That bar allows you to jump easily between the lesson material and
your questions. On the right side of the NavBar you will see Section and
Question. If you want to see the questions for this section, just click the
Question tab and there they are. If you want to go back… you guessed it,
click Section! There is also a button on the bottom of every section that will
send you to the Question tab.
For each lesson, information about the questions:
• The number line will show you how many questions you have to answer;
the blue arrow underneath shows which question number you are currently

3. on. The double arrow will take you all the way to the first or last question;
the single arrow will move you forward or backwards one question. You
can also click one of the numbers to jump to that question. Once you have
selected your answer, you can click Next Question. When you get to the end
of a section (in a lesson with more than one section, that is), a pop-up will
appear over the Next Question button asking if you want to start reading the
next section’s material or keep answering questions. When you have
answered everything, a pop-up will appear over the Turn It In button,
asking if you are ready to turn in your assignment. If you need help with a
question, click Ask For Help to send a help request to your teacher.
o REMEMBER to be sure to write a specific question. This will assist
the Instructor in answering your question more quickly. Please
understand, your instructor may be assisting students in another
school or class when you ask for “Help” or send a message. If it’s
something urgent, please tell your VLL Assistant so they can either
send a text or make a phone call to the instructor. Your instructor will
respond to your messages as soon as possible.
o If your teacher has a comment or note for you regarding a specific
question, she will type it using the Help button and it will send you a
message letting you know what you need to review or redo.
Some projects you will have to upload a file, how do I do that?
• We’ve moved the file upload button above the text box to make it easier to
get to. Click the File icon, choose the one you want, then click Upload.
You’ll see a green check mark when you have successfully uploaded a file.
If you choose the wrong type…well, we’ll let you know.
I have a question that uses the Writer tool. Where are my scores?
• We’ve designed the Writer tool to be just above the text box. You’ll see
Writer, your word count, and your overall score. If you click on the overall
score, a drop down will show you your other scores.
How do I update my Writer scores?

4. • On the right side of the Writer bar there’s an arrow going in a circle.
Whenever you make changes in the text box, you can click that arrow to
update or refresh your Writer score.
I finished an assignment. What do those stars mean?
• Hooray! Those stars are our way of congratulating you for finishing your
assignment. There are always 5 stars; the better you score, the more stars
will be filled in. Reach for the stars, friend!
I opened a quiz/test and don’t see any questions. What gives?
• When an assignment (even a quiz or test) opens, it opens on the Section tab.
Just click Question to get started.
Ready to begin?:
STEP 1: Open up Mozilla Firefox and go to Odysseyware using the
appropriate URL: https://claycsd.owschools.com/ . Type in your 6 digit
student number for your username and password and click login.
STEP 2: When you sign in, you will be located on the Help page. The first
time you sign in, please watch the brief video explaining the layout of
OdysseyWare. If you have specific questions, you may click on the FAQ
tab at the top left and review the questions and answers. You may
uncheck the “Always show after Login” after you view the video and each
time you login after this time, you will go straight to the Learn page.
STEP 3: To locate your assignments, click on the Learn page on the top
menu. Click on the Assignments button on the top left to view your
assignments. Please complete the assignments in order. To complete an
assignment, click on it and read the instructions carefully. When
completing a lesson, make sure you read everything, review the vocabulary
words, play the vocabulary games, and complete all the interactive
activities.

5. Below is an example of the Odysseyware Learn page.
STEP 3: When class time is close to the end, save any of your work and
log out of Odysseyware.
The Messages Page
There may be times when you need to send a Message to your Instructor
or your Instructor has sent a Message to you – It’s very easy and you’ll find
it to be an important tool for you once you begin working in Odysseyware.
What is Message of the Day?
• The Message of the Day is displayed at the top of your messages. It’s worth
noting that you can’t delete or reply to the Message of the Day; just read and
enjoy it.
How do I open a message?
• Each individual message appears in a row of your Inbox. To read the
message, click anywhere along the message to open it.

6. Can I send a message while I’m in an assignment?
• Absolutely! At any point while working on an assignment you can click on
Messages to send a message or Assignments or Courses to see what else you
have to work. When you are ready to go back to your lesson, just click the
middle of the Navigation Bar where the assignment info is listed and BAM,
you’re right back into it.
• You can view your Inbox, your Sent messages and any Archived messages
by clicking the down arrow by the word Inbox and choosing the desired
location.
• To create or compose a new message to your instructor, click the Compose
button as indicated in the graphic below. Choose your instructor’s name on
the right and type your message on the left and then click the Send button.

7. Essay/Short Answer Questions – requirements,
suggestions & tips
You Must:
• Read questions to make sure you understand the requirements.
If you’re unsure then most likely you did not complete all of the
interactives and/or did not read the lesson in its entirety;
• Write in complete sentences;
• Use proper grammar and capitalization;
• Answer the question based on what you learned from the
lesson NOT from your opinion. There are cases where you are
asked to “tell about a time when …”, or “what could you have
done differently”, but seldom will you be asked to write about
what you “feel”.
• Avoid using slang, “text talk”, and abbreviations;
• Avoid using words such as stupid, dumb, duh, “idk”, etc.;
• Avoid attempts at being funny, witty, or cute;
• Avoid using emoticons and exclamation marks;
• Proofread your answer for mistakes before you submit it;
• Avoid copying and pasting answers from the lesson – this is
plagiarism.
Tips:
• Take notes while reading the lesson and completing the
activities. This will reinforce the information and many times
help you to gain a better understanding of the topic.
• Always answer the short answer question. If you leave it blank
you lose valuable points which can mean the difference
between a letter grade at the end of the grading period.
• The content in this course is extremely relevant to today’s
workforce and can help you greatly in gaining a basic
understanding of how to behave, navigate, and interact in an
office environment to achieve the respect of your boss, peers

8. and prospective employers. The suggestion here is to take the
course VERY seriously.
Steps to Consider When Composing an Awesome
Short Answer –
Step 1: Analyze and Plan. Identify all parts of the question. Plan your
answer – jot down notes and organize them.
Step 2: Write your Answer. Restate the question as part of the introduction
to your answer.
Step 3: Review and Revise your Answer. Ask yourself the following
questions:
• Did I follow the directions of the question and read ALL the
parts?
• Did I provide enough detail, reasons and examples to support
my answer?
Frequently Asked Questions from our Students:
Q: I’ve never taken an online course. Is this going to be hard for me?
A: This online course will be the first one taken by many of your
classmates – so if it’s new to you, you’re not alone! As with anything
new, there may be a little worry or uncertainty. The good news is the
Odysseyware course has many help features and you also have a
support system – your VLL Assistant and your Instructor. The Help
page and the Message page are always available for you to use. You
will enjoy the activities and gain an understanding of many important
aspects about personal and family finance. It’s an awesome
opportunity – enjoy 
Q :I submitted a lesson but now I have to complete it again – why?

9. A: Odysseyware lessons are automatically set up to be reassigned to
a student if the student receives a grade below 70%. Students are
given the opportunity to complete a lesson 3 times before being
allowed to have a recorded lesson grade below 70%. It is up to the
Instructor to decide if you will be given additional grace or assistance
on a specific lesson. Each lesson and student situation is handled on
a case-by-case basis. Please note: make every attempt to answer
each question based on information from the lesson versus “guess-
work” or inserting “IDK” – the answers ARE in the lessons. It is more
time-consuming for you to have to complete a lesson 3 times (and
possibly still have a grade of a D or lower) rather than take time to
search out answers within the lesson and learn the material.
Q: I submitted a lesson but it isn’t graded. Why are some lessons
graded automatically and others are not?
A: Lessons including a short answer question require for the
Instructor to review the student’s response and grade the short
answer response. If there are no “written” responses required for the
lesson, just matching, true/false, and/or multiple choice, your lesson
will be graded once you click the final “Submit” button.
Q: The overall grade on Odysseyware for the lessons I’ve completed
is an 80% but I’m behind on lessons. Is this a problem?
A: You want to make sure you stay up to date on your lessons. If you
do fall behind, each lesson that is due but has not been completed is
similar to a “0”, so your “true” grade would be less than what is stated
in Odysseyware. If you are just 1 or 2 lessons behind, you’ll have
plenty of opportunities to catch up. Make sure you don’t make a habit
of “falling behind.” If you do “fall behind”, you are responsible to make
arrangements to make-up the work by treating the “late lessons” as
homework. If you do not have Internet access or a working computer
at home, please check with your VLL Assistant to see if there are
alternatives at your home school, such as coming in early, getting a
pass to the Media Center, etc.