Digital Learning: Easing the Course Rigor
Digital learning is a mainstream activity these days. Affordability, ease of access and capability to address a large number of the evolving population are some of the reasons for the ubiquity of digital learning. Learners have been involved in various sororities since ages, but they did not have much choice, before the emergence of the digital education, they were forced to take night classes or used to enroll in distance learning. Digital learning is an amalgamation of the pros of non-traditional (distance education) and the outcomes of traditional learning. Digital education platforms have achieved institutional status and are considered as a more credible and qualitative mode of learning. They are delivering personalized learning tailored to an individual learner’s needs. Courses are designed keeping up with the needs of both the learners as well as the policymakers. There an array of options when it comes to digital learning institutions which have a pragmatically designed course catalog and are accredited by authentic agencies for quality assurance. While researching for a reliable digital school, it is very important to sift out the bogus ones. There are some digital schools which have an organized pedagogical model and well-defined courses suitable for learners belonging to different levels in the educational hierarchy. Following are some examples of such digital institutions/schools: 1. Florida Virtual School- (FLVS): In 1997, a digital school for students of grades K-12 was established with its headquarters in Florida. A full-time as well as a part-time schooling option for elementary, middle and high school grades. FLVS courses include core subjects, specials, electives, career & technical education and advanced placement courses. FLVS also offers year-round enrolment to students on a per-course basis and virtual learning labs for educators, schools and institutes around the world. 2. International Schooling- First digital school outside the U.S accredited by AdvancED with its headquarters in Singapore and primarily serves Middle and high school students from grades 6 to 12. The courses include core subjects, world languages, health & physical education and electives. a) Middle School Program (6-8) - The minimum age required to enroll in this program is 11 years. b) High-School Program (9-12) - The minimum age requirement for enrolling in this program is 13 years. Since language plays a crucial role in comprehension and communication; it’s a mandatory subject for all grades. International Schooling offers a wide range of electives and advanced placement courses helping students to lay a sturdy foundation for overall personal and professional development. Furthermore, the digital content is enriched with high-quality audio-visual resources which enhance the quality of learning and hence supports learners who take time to understand and learn the topics. Students can get enrolled at International Schooling through its partner k-12 schools/institutions internationally to provide guidance and support in terms of education delivery.
3. International Connections Academy (iNaCA) – An online private school, accredited by AdvancED for grades K-12 which was founded in 2001 with its headquarters in Maryland. Students, from any part of the world, can get enrolled for full-time schooling or individual courses. iNaCA encourages a learner-centric approach to guiding by involving parents as the learning coaches. iNaCA offers courses under the following categories: a) Lower school (K-5) – Learners are introduced to basic skills to study such as reading, writing, science, math, social studies, etc. b) Middle School (6-8) – Learners become independent at this level and they learn under the guidance of a learning coach. Apart from this, iNaCA offers a wide range of elective courses to choose from, students can get enrolled in virtual clubs and activities. c) Upper School (9-12) - iNaCA prepares the learner for college-level through their robust curriculum. iNaCA supports students for preparing SAT and ACT examinations essential for higher education. They also enroll students who are looking for advanced STEM or world language courses which are unavailable in their locality. It additionally caters homeschooling children to supplement their ongoing instructional plan. Students can also enroll in iNaCA which offers summer school courses for grades k-12. In a nutshell, digital schooling gives liberty to students to choose their own courses to shape a career of their own choice. Freedom and flexibility under expert guidance can enhance the quality of education, educators, and learners.