Virtual schools are experiencing an explosion in size, interest and scrutiny.  Enrollment just hit 1 million students in the United States – they are no longer just for special-case scenarios.  While the benefits, especially to rural communities and facilities-challenged districts, are clear, many question the academic rigor of the learning process and social development of the students.  The rise of hybrid classes in undergraduate education and “four-day-a-week” secondary public schools further emphasize the growing demand for online learning and remediation.  Lenovo is currently researching outcomes in the field in Ireland, and we will add more projects over the next year.  I’ll share the results here when the studies are complete.

To shed more light on this topic, I’ve asked Bruce Friend, Director of Curriculum Pathways at SAS Institute, to answer some questions regarding virtual schools.  I should add that Bruce has held executive management positions in both the Florida Virtual School and North Carolina Virtual School organizations, so he has seen it all from first establishing one of the largest virtual schools to state policy, standards and assessment.

SCHMEDLEN: Greetings, Bruce – How long have you been involved with virtual schools and online learning?

FRIEND: My adventures in online learning began in 1997 when I was selected as the first online social studies developer and teacher for a new program that became the Florida Virtual School (FLVS).  In subsequent years I became the Chief Operations Officer / Vice President at FLVS.  During my tenure, we grew from less than 100 student enrollments to over 70,000.  I have also served as the director of North Carolina’s state virtual program and in 2006 became the VP of the International Association for Online Learning.

SCHMEDLEN: Here is the big question: Do virtual schools work?

FRIEND: YES, online learning has proven to “work” regardless of how one defines that term.  Whether by providing access to courses students could not otherwise take or by measurements such as state and national standardized assessments, online learning meets the academic needs of students.  I should point out that not all virtual schools are structured in the same way.  Most programs are supplementary, meaning students continue full-time at their brick-and-mortar school but take additional coursework online.  Other programs are indeed full-time and even diploma granting.  In all cases, examples show that online learning allows students to achieve at similar or higher levels than traditional class environments.

SCHMEDLEN: Have there been any longitudinal assessments for graduates of virtual schools?  Is there a sense if they any better or worse off than traditional students in higher education of the workforce?

FRIEND: Given that even the most veteran online K12 schools are about a decade old, the body of research on the effectiveness of online learning is just beginning to form.  Nonetheless, several studies have provided evidence that students taking online course actually outperform their traditional-school counterparts.  One study, for example, focused on Spanish acquisition in an online environment in West Virginia.  In addition, online programs can also offer educational value to taxpayers as was highlighted in Florida by a TaxWatch report.  For a list of studies, go here.

SCHMEDLEN: Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS, recently made a big announcement: SAS® Curriculum Pathways® is now free.  This is a very powerful collection of resources.  Can you tell me more about the product and why SAS made this decision?

FRIEND: SAS Curriculum Pathways provides interactive, standards-based resources in English, science, mathematics, social studies and Spanish for grades 8-12 in traditional, virtual and home schools. SAS focuses on topics where doing, seeing, and listening provide information and encourage insights in ways that conventional methods and textbooks cannot. SAS Curriculum Pathways is your online partner, engaging students with quality content that can be differentiated to meet their varied needs including learner-centered activities with measurable outcomes and interactive materials that target higher-order thinking skills. All materials are linked to state standards. Schools can also adapt the content to match their technological capabilities. The decision to make SAS Curriculum Pathways available at no cost to all US students and educators comes in response to the need for digital content resources that engage students and promote 21st-century skills. It is yet another example of strongly reaffirming the company’s more than 30-year commitment to education.

SCHMEDLEN: Speaking of interactivities, what is most important in an online learning environment: the instructor, the course management system, the content, the state standards, the assessment or something else?

FRIEND: In my experience, the most important component still remains the instructor.  While “online” may sound “high tech” for some, it is the “high touch” that makes the difference for students.  Effective teaching has always been about connecting with students.  Technology allows us to do this in ways that we could not have envisioned a decade ago.  Certainly you need high-quality, engaging online content, and you need the technology delivery system to connect this content to the students; however, a caring , passionate teacher is still crucial.

SCHMEDLEN: New South Wales just announced they will order approximately 220,000IdeaPad netbooks.   That’s a lot.   Will the availability of less expensive mobile hardware make a profound impact on online learning?

FRIEND: Driving down the price of hardware can certainly have a positive impact on schools’ ability to acquire the latest technologies; however, hardware alone will not transform the way teaching and learning take place.  To complement that hardware, teachers need quality learning resources such as SAS Curriculum Pathways, and equally important, teachers need the ongoing professional development that will allow them to maximize the potential that both hardware and digital curriculum can provide to them and their students.  I think we will profoundly affect teaching and learning for the better, both in traditional and online classrooms, when we effectively provide teachers with hardware, digital content, training, and leadership support.

SCHMEDLEN: If you had one piece of advice to give nations, provinces, states or districts that plan to roll out online learning or virtual schools, what would it be?

FRIEND: Do not simply try to replicate the traditional classroom in a virtual environment.  Tens of thousands of students have consistently told us that a major reason they like online courses is that they are accessible at convenient times.  Still, new online programs are often asked to employ traditional mechanisms of school management (seat time over performance) and funding models.  In addition, online course content needs to be dynamic, interactive, and engaging.  Simply taking your text-based resources and turning them into an online course is not going to engage students.  The power of online learning is maximized when students can access learning 24/7 and work at their own pace on engaging courses that promote active learning.

SCHMEDLEN: Thank you! For more information on Curriculum Pathways (it’s free!) visit www.sascurriculumpathways.com