School districts across the state of Alabama are currently working to develop a virtual school policy all in an effort to meet the state’s requirement for the upcoming school year. A major difference between what many high schools offer in the way of virtual education is that most teachers blend or supplement their in-person coursework with online learning or digital activities. The virtual education policy must include options for high school students to take classes in a fully online learning environment. This leads us to take a closer look at true virtual learning and what it will look like for K-12 education. 
My review of virtual learning in high schools brought both awareness and curiosity, but here are three things I found most impressive. Alabama's virtual school, ACCESS, has pre-developed courses in every high school subject area and utilizes certified, highly-qualified teachers in our state. Any system that is unable to offer a virtual program themselves can confidently choose to offer ACCESS classes as their virtual option to high school students. In addition, states across the country have committed to offering virtual options to increase the number of courses their students can take, and this trend is continuing to grow very fast. As access to technology has increased, many more students can take advantage of these virtual courses than have in the past. One last impressive fact is that so much research has been done to not only prove there is a need, but also to show that teacher training and cost are important factors in successful implementation.
One thing that surprised me is that even after several years of offering courses online more students don't sign up to take them. With the number of online colleges and knowing many traditional colleges incorporate online learning into their courses, more students should try out this type of learning before they graduate high school to ensure they are better prepared. Another surprise is that studies in general show that there is no significant difference in student achievement when the traditional face-to-face classroom is compared to online delivery of content (Moore & Kearsley, 2012).
I am curious about how K-12 districts prepare students to take a class like English or Algebra II that is fully online. In Chapter 6, Moore and Kearsley (2012) point out that the instructor needs to understand the different interactions and roles that are necessary in online instruction. Virtual learning that is 100 percent online is still very new to high schools. Students who have never taken an online class would benefit from some type of prerequisite orientation or training prior to taking a course so they can effectively interact and engage in the virtual environment.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2012). Distance education: A systems view of online learning. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Considering how many classes are available through ACCESS, at no additional cost to the school or student, I was also surprised to find how little students utilized the opportunities provided. I also echo your sentiment that it should be a requirement that students take an online class to better prepare themselves. Moore & Kearlsey (2012) recognize students' unfamiliarity with such courses, which can cause anxiety. Prepping these students in a blended learning environment might also be another step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised to find that students do not enroll in online courses more often. After doing an immense amount of research on the subject of online learning, I realized there is very little data on why high school students, in particular, take or do not take online courses. I found it interesting that even though the state of Alabama uses the ACCESS program, teachers at Hoover High liked a different program, Edgenuity better.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that students should have some prerequisite or guidance before taking online courses as procrastination can be a big problem in virtual learning (Moore & Kearlsey, 2012).