Even before the Covid-19 pandemic brought online learning into mainstream education, there was a growing trend in online learning, particularly for high school students. The demands on the time and level of achievement required by high school students seem to grow each year, where good marks alone seem to be just the starting point for achieving their post-secondary educational goals. This can create conflicting demands on a student’s time as they try to focus on maintaining the required level of academic success along with broad and balanced extracurricular activities.
Online learning offers students several benefits and opportunities to both improve or maintain their academic success, allowing them to graduate while giving them the flexibility to achieve meaningful involvement in extracurricular activities.
The online learning benefits and opportunities include:
Self-Paced Online Learning
Students have different ways of learning and different preferences as to how quickly they like to move through the course material. Asynchronous online learning modules, like those offered by Apex Academy Online, allow students to work through the course material at a pace that suits them, or even go over the material multiple times, depending on their preference. The self–paced approach is taken a step further at Apex Academy Online by allowing students up to nine (9) months to complete the Ontario online high school course, giving them the flexibility to build and adapt a schedule to accommodate the most demanding of extracurricular activities.
Customized Curriculum
The educational needs of each student are unique, particularly in terms of high school graduation. Some may be happy with the traditional graduation calendar, whereas others may want to bring it forward, or perhaps extend it, to meet their personal goals. Whatever the reason, online high schools can work with individual students to develop the graduation schedule required. Online high schools, like Apex Academy Online, are not constrained by rigid timetables, classroom availability, or other material limitations faced by traditional schools. As long as there’s enough time to satisfy the course requirements, course selection and scheduling can be readily adapted to suit any situation. In practice, the only limitation is the student’s drive and ability to complete the work within the time and to a standard that is compatible with their goals.
Cheaper than Private School
Online learning is the most cost-effective way for students to achieve their educational goals in a personalized, virtual one-on-one teacher-student environment. Before the advent of online learning, the only option available to high school students wishing to improve their marks, or take extra courses, was in privately run schools or academies. Online schools offer similar benefits to private schools, but at a fraction of the cost. It opens up a world of opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to achieve educational goals that may be been previously beyond their financial means.
One-on-One Attention
In an online learning asynchronous environment, like that offered by Apex Academy Online, students work through the course material at their own pace, interacting with their teacher as and when needed. In working this way, students get one-on-one attention from their teachers, giving them help and insights that are directly focused on their individual needs. Students are free to ask questions and explore the course material in ways that wouldn’t be possible in a traditional classroom setting. Asynchronous online learning can create unique learning opportunities for students, where they can freely explore the course material with teachers without distraction or possible negative peer pressure.
No Boundaries of Time and Place
Asynchronous online learning is available to students whenever and wherever they choose. As long as they have a suitable PC/Laptop/Tablet/Smart Phone and Internet access, they can study at a time and place of their choosing. Online learning removes the traditional boundaries of structured time and place, offering students the freedom to choose how and when they learn, giving them full–time access on their own terms.
Catching Up and Making Up
Online learning offers students, who, for whatever reason, were not able to graduate or achieve their desired grade, an ideal opportunity to either catch up and graduate or make up that grade they wanted. It gives students the flexibility to fit the studying into their lives in a way that minimizes disruption, allowing them to achieve their educational goals while continuing to focus on their day-to-day responsibilities.
Focus on Extracurricular Activities
There are some students, such as elite athletes or social activists, who face challenges in balancing their commitment to their sport, or other activities, and their education. Asynchronous online learning offers a unique solution to their problem. The flexible, full-time access it offers can be organized to suit almost any schedule, anywhere in the world with Internet access.
