The Short Answer
A crucial step in our process is a one-on-one with a trained educator who is facile with Zoom. For group instruction without adequate digital classroom management, i.e., students can be on their phone, cameras off, etc., assuredly no. So, we are describing two different instructional formats in truth. To say online is binary, good or bad, is to say a vehicle is objectively good or bad without factoring in how many occupants it must fit or luggage or materials it must carry. We saw during online COVID that learning schools were not trained to teach in this format, equipment or infrastructure was a quality limiting factor, and digital classroom management did not allow for engaging content. Plus, when factoring in less-than-dynamic asynchronous content, and we saw some families see online learning as the culprit when it was really due to how it was used. We find meeting the student in their homework environment with the best educators agnostic of zip code, coupled with professionals trained in this medium, to lead to spectacular results compared to this alternative. Therefore, t]he question “do students learn as much from online courses” asks us to consider several ideas. Is the course content covered the same, and are the course’s learning objectives equivalent? Course administrators and teachers design and develop courses to ensure that students receive equivalent learning experiences in various learning environments including face-to-face, online, and hybrid (a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning). So, we turn to the learning experience itself. What do students need to learn as much as they can from their online courses?
What Do Students Need to Learn?
In accordance with the literature, certain skills are required, such as “writing and communication skills, time management, organizational skills, and the ability to work independently (Deal, W.F. III. 2002).” It is interesting to note that in a survey conducted of students who were unsuccessful in their online courses, the majority of advice that unsuccessful online students would give potential online students refers to soft skills such as time management, organizational skills, good communication skills, and strong writing and reading skills (Fetzner, M. 2013).
How Does Novella Prep Support Students?
How does Novella Prep help students be successful in the online learning environment? Through Novella’s one-on-one learner-centered approach, students can work with our highly experienced and qualified teaching staff as they focus on achieving their unique goals. Our program model is efficient and flexible, meeting the needs of our students where they are. By modeling best practices in online learning, our teachers provide students with the knowledge and experience they need to be successful in the online learning environment.
Novella Prep utilizes video conferencing and collaborative online tools to engage students in the learning process and provide a customized learning experience with access to myriad learning resources. Novella teachers share screens with their students, guiding them through the strategic use of each tool to support students’ performance, organization, and learning. We can track student growth and provide feedback to students and parents, ensuring timely task management is at the forefront of a student’s unique educational journey.
Through practice and experiencing our online program, Novella Prep students sharpen their digital expertise in the online learning environment, a 21st-century skill that will continue to become all the more commonplace and important. This provides our students with a strong foundation as they progress toward their academic and personal goals.
Fetzner, M. (2013). What Do Unsuccessful Online Students Want Us to Know? Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, v 17 n1 p13-27 Jan 2013.
Deal, W. F., III. (2002, May-June). Distance learning: teaching technology online. (Resources In Technology). The Technology Teacher, 61(8), 21+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A87146664/ITOF?u=dclib_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bc723597.