Learning Online: A Reality Check

Full-time virtual learning is on the rise!  In the number of schools and the number of students enrolled. This, despite all the heartache and hardship during COVID, when most students were at home and remote learning became anathema to them, their parents, and teachers. 

     To be fair, part of the problem was trying to duplicate the traditional in-class curriculum and teaching model within the structure of an online platform.  The two are not compatible.   Also to be fair, during the pandemic we saw advantages and disadvantages to online learning, depending on many factors.

     It is time for a reality check.

     After the pandemic, with time to reflect, we could evaluate the pros and cons of learning online and which students would best be served by this model.  A compilation of independent research plus honest assessments from full-time virtual schools creates a profile of students with the potential to succeed in this setting.  They are mature, self-disciplined, motivated, well-organized, independent, with very good time management skills.  That is, they are older, the majority in high school.  

     For students who require a flexible schedule, for those who ae more comfortable working on their own, for those who may be physically or geographically unable to attend an in-person school, full-time virtual learning may be a good fit.  And for all students who attend full-time virtual school, parents are required to supervise their children and to see that they complete assignments and meet due dates.   

    Although appropriate for some students, the consensus among educators is that full-time virtual schools are not the right environment for younger children.  First, they are too young to have developed the traits noted above.  Second, they need time to build social relationships, friendships, a sense of security and well-being.  Third, they require structure and direction and at the same time, freedom to explore, imagine, play, and learn to problem-solve alone or in groups.

     Parents should also consider the following: 1) 40% of full-time virtual schools are run by two for-profit organizations, subsidized in part by student tuition and fees.  2) Per research to date, full-time virtual schools underperform in-person schools in both performance and graduation rates.  

     However, free courses and lessons online, from a trusted and proven resource such as Khan Academy, can be excellent supplementary, personalized support.  The truth is this should not be a debate between full-time virtual and full-time in-person schooling.  We have learned a great deal during and since the pandemic about the education possibilities available for our children.

   Hybrid schooling is more than likely the future.  And that is the reality check.