New Survey: Online Learning Prepares Students for the Future
April Fleetwood, Senior Manager of Research and Evaluation, Florida Virtual School
According to Educause, 40% of college students report spending between three to four hours a day working online - whether that’s homework or research. Additionally, while 2020 may be considered the year of “remote work,” it is just the beginning as Global Workplace Analytics estimates that 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month by 2025.
Knowing that remote learning and work are only going to increase in popularity and use in the future, students gaining online learning skills in Kindergarten-12th grade is essential for their success. A survey recently conducted by Florida Virtual School (FLVS) and FlexPoint, the new national brand for FLVS that works with schools across the country to implement Kindergarten-12th grade online learning programs, revealed that even after a challenging year where many families had to adapt to a new way of learning, parents believe that online learning benefits their children’s educational experiences by helping them develop key skills for school and future success.
This survey, deployed in August 2021, included 18 questions that sought to examine FLVS parents’ perspectives on the impact of online school on their elementary, middle, and high school children’s soft skills and social emotional learning experiences. The survey was distributed to families who were enrolled in FLVS courses for at least 90 days.
The Findings and Implications
Responses from the 3,248 survey participants were overwhelmingly positive, with more than 80% of parents agreeing that online learning helps their children better prepare for the future, and that it’s a critical piece of equipping them for success.
Parents also expressed that learning online is important for their children to develop valuable soft skills such as managing time, setting and achieving goals, and having positive relationships with others: 82% of parents believe their children have better video conferencing/online behavior etiquette, 73% believe their children have better communication skills, and 70% believe their children have better time management skills.
Another key finding was that parents believe online learning allows their children to be authentic as they navigate challenges and strive for success. We learned that 80% of parents either strongly agree or agree that the online learning environment allows their children to be authentically themselves, 70% either strongly agree or agree that online learning helps their children develop creative solutions to everyday challenges, and 60% either strongly agree or agree that online learning increases their children’s motivation to accomplish goals.
A third key finding from the survey was that parents of online students strongly believe that online learning benefits their children’s educational experiences. We asked whether, since starting at FLVS, parents felt their student improved their soft skills. Responses revealed that 94% of parents believe online learning positively impacts their children’s ability to understand courses, 83% feel online learning improves their children’s ability to focus, 76% see a positive impact on their children’s motivation to finish homework, study, or complete school projects, and 65% believe online learning helps their children develop better study habits. More than two-thirds of the respondents also agreed that their children gain key skills from learning online that they would not acquire in a traditional in-person setting.
We also conducted additional statistical analysis to explore whether there was an association among students’ grade levels and time spent in online school with parents’ online school perceptions. We found that, no matter the grade level or time spent in online school, parents’ perceptions were overwhelmingly positive toward online learning.
The results also indicate online learning is here to stay through the overwhelmingly positive sentiments about learning online in the lives of current Kindergarten-12th grade students and the steady enrollment numbers we have seen over the past two years.
We are thrilled with the survey results because they show that online students are developing growth mindsets that will set them up for success in college and the workforce, which is our ultimate goal as educators. It also shows that when online education is done well and includes one-on-one teacher support and engaging and effective digital courses, students’ comprehension deepens, allowing them to find new passions.