How High Achieving Students are Finding Success in Virtual Learning
Jean Sharp has dedicated her career to supporting great teaching and learning, both in the classroom and online. For the past 10 years, she has served as the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Content Development at Apex Learning. Now, after 32 years in educational technology and a few more years in the classroom, Jean is embracing a new season. She plans to continue to contribute to education in relevant and impactful ways through consulting, writing, and ongoing learning. You can connect with Jean on LinkedIn.
High-achieving students who choose a virtual learning program are often seeking both flexibility and a rigorous academic program that emphasizes the importance of learning as they prepare for their future. Recently, I spoke with a select group of high school students who attended a virtual learning program prior to the pandemic and continued in a virtual learning program through their graduation last spring or even now as they enter their senior year. These students were identified as high-achieving students by their teachers; several students were also student athletes. Through these conversations, my goal was to learn from them what it takes to be successful in a virtual learning environment. While this sample size was small, the depth of the conversations was highly valuable, consistent from student to student, and aligned with what we have heard from other sources.
How would you describe the benefits of virtual learning?
For these students, there are clear benefits to virtual learning, among them flexibility, efficiency, and the self-directed nature of learning.
Flexibility was a priority for every student. “To be able to build your own schedule is very important as an athlete, especially to an individual athlete,” one student acknowledged, “because you have to work your schedule around training and practice as well as travel and tournaments.”
Students recognize the efficiency in a virtual program which allows them to maximize their learning time. “You just cut out so much time—walking between classes, eliminating interruptions, and waiting for class to start. The fact that you can really put your head down and get your work done is huge.”
And students pointed out the importance of becoming a self-directed learner, developing skills in time management and self-discipline. “You have to be motivated and you have to keep track of what assignments you’ve completed and what you still need to do. That’s up to you.”
What has been critical to your success in virtual learning?
Scheduling and time management, accountability and personal responsibility, balance, and deeper learning and resourcefulness were considered by students to be essential in achieving successful outcomes in a virtual learning program.
“Early on, it was tough for me to manage my workload for the week. I had to develop a system for scheduling my work.” While every student reflected on some form of time management and the ability to focus on the work at hand, they agreed that a system for mapping out the course work and assignments for the week brought clear visibility to what needed to get done.
Personal responsibility and accountability are necessary to persevere. “In order to be successful, you have to actually go and do the work. No one is going to do it for you. You just have to recognize that if you don’t do it today, it’s just going to compound and make it harder tomorrow.”
In a virtual learning program, students appreciate the flexibility to balance their physical, social, and emotional health with the expectations of school. “I go at my own pace and I really like that in a virtual school.”
For high-achieving virtual students, their motivation and resourcefulness often leads to deeper learning. “I like to dive deeper into a subject, particularly if it’s interesting to me or I want to understand more.” These students do not hesitate to find additional resources to support their learning.
How has virtual learning prepared you for your next steps beyond high school graduation?
Students with experience in a virtual learning program have been developing the habits, skills, and attitudes they’ll need to be successful in college throughout their high school career—managing schedules, juggling time for study, classes, and assignments, and developing the discipline for self-directed learning among them.
“Virtual learning helps you build great skills to hold yourself accountable, set up schedules, and be responsible for your learning. These are some of the best skills I’ve gained from online learning and help set me apart from students in a traditional school environment.”
“It’s helping me to be prepared for the kind of learning I can expect in college. No one is going to feed me the answers.”
“Learning online can be more work at times, although the work helps you understand the subject more. Sometimes it is good to have a little more work.”
While we recognize that only a very small percentage of students attend online or hybrid schools in non-pandemic years, these interests, skills, and benefits would clearly apply to a majority of students. More importantly, our students have insight and wisdom to share if we take the time to ask the questions and listen to their experiences. For high-achieving students, virtual learning is helping them develop self-awareness and skills that will prepare them for success in college and beyond.