Online learning should be available for all students
Should complete at least one virtual course to be prepared for the digital world
Since 2006, the Ontario e-Learning Strategy has guided the ministry of education in blazing an impressive trail, by leading and supporting school districts in both online and blended learning initiatives throughout the province. Each day, thousands of Ontario students and their teachers benefit from a dynamic technology-enabled learning strategy that promotes and facilitates 21st-century learning skills and global competencies.
Ontario teachers today have 24-7 access to a dizzying array of digital learning tools that are transforming the way they teach and how students learn. In a growing number of schools, the global village has morphed into a brave new borderless classroom. Ministry of education-subsidized and open source video-streaming technologies, allow virtual guest speakers to engage with a wired generation of students, weaned on electronic tablets, smartphones, social media and Wi-Fi networks.
But where are we when it comes to virtual education? How many online courses are being delivered to the province’s over half a million high school students? Currently, the student demand for online courses exceeds supply. Though online learning thrives in some publicly-funded K-12 school districts, overall, the state of distance learning across the province is a patchwork of course offerings, lacking coherence and a centrally-driven vision.
One reason for this noticeable gap is that, unlike core ministry-driven K-12 initiatives like “student success learning to 18” or “specialist high skills majors,” distance education and/or online learning are not mandated. Ultimately, public school districts decide how much time, effort, resources and funding they will devote to the development of their e-learning programs.
Hence, some school districts offer their students, as well as some out-of-board students (to help top up online course sections), robust online course offerings, while others offer few if any. Without a clear picture across the province and a co-ordinated effort to meet specific student online course requests, many school districts end up offering the same courses. Inevitably, this unintentional redundancy results in under-enrollment in some virtual courses.
Included in the mix are three consortiums, (Ontario e-Learning Consortium, Ontario Catholic e-Learning Consortium and Ontario French Language Virtual Learning Consortium), that work to help maximize online learning at school districts throughout the province, by sharing course offerings, students and resources.
Yet our students continue to actively seek out online learning opportunities to help meet a host of genuine needs: resolve student timetable and course scheduling issues, accommodate specific individual student needs and situations (e.g. students with anxiety or other health issues, credit recovery, elite athletes, etc.), provide flexible learning options, where students can work toward meeting course expectations at their own pace, and help them prepare for the inevitable technological challenges they will face within the post-secondary pathway they pursue.
The existence of myths and misconceptions around online learning are additional challenges that only perpetuate institutional inertia, at the risk of what may best serve students. One such myth currently floating in the secondary school learning environment, is that e-learning replaces teachers.
Day-school online course offerings are staffed by qualified, subject area expert teachers. These eTeachers develop learning strategies, rich, differentiated assessment practices and 21st-century teaching skills. Online teachers also have the same responsibilities as they do in their face-toface classrooms. The main difference is in the completion of these tasks. eTeachers leverage digital resources to enhance and personalize student learning, access curriculum expectations and regularly communicate student progress.
Many secondary school educators view e-learning as only for self-directed learners. Online learning is not just for a select few, but a reality in every post-secondary pathway, whether university, college or the work world. All students need to acquire and develop the necessary skills for online learning.
Recognizing the fact that online learning is a key piece in the average college graduate’s education, in 2011, the state of Florida required high school students to take at least one online course before graduation. Their rationale, without a solid grasp of the necessary skills and knowledge required in an online learning environment, students are less prepared for the inevitable virtual learning experiences they will face academically beyond high school.
Despite the many obstacles facing our high school students regarding online learning options, it is not too late for the ministry of education, supported by all educational stakeholders in Ontario, to require students to complete at least one virtual course before graduation. Doing so, would ensure a smoother ride along their future chosen path, by helping prepare them for the ever-evolving world beyond the confines of their high school walls.