What are some of the long-term impacts COVID-19 may have on schools?
Approximately 1.2 billion youth from 186 different nations have been impacted by the closure of schools around the world. Lots of kids have gotten used to distance education, and they ponder if traditional classroom instruction will ever resume. Studies have indicated that the use of online education may be advantageous in certain situations, particularly with regards toenhanced data retention.
Many think that the discrepancy between the hasty, unexpected change to remote learning and the lack of preparation has caused a dismal situation that could have lingering, detrimental consequences on education. People think that the advantages gained from this form of teaching greatly outweigh the negatives. Some investigations suggest that those who have access to the right technologies may be able to absorb information more proficiently in a few varieties of ways, remember a larger percentage of the content, and educate themselves at their own speed.
Many students have been facing a major issue with an unreliable internet connection. The age of the child is a substantial factor in how successful online education is, due to younger children having a more difficult time focusing. A study revealed that based on the factors involved, learners may have the potential to miss out on 3% of their future earning power as a result of missing out on their education due to the coronavirus.
It seems that parents’ involvement, qualities, and resources will be essential in determining how well students will learn while studying remotely, as well as what kind of long-term impact the COVID-19 virus will have on their lives.
Will any of the popular learning models persist after the pandemic?
Schools everywhere did not have to shut down completely due to video conferencing, allowing students to stay connected to their teachers and classmates through virtual means.
We discovered that the pandemic has led to positive, long-term results in virtual education.
Schools got processes in place quickly that would have otherwise taken them a long time to implement. Although the beginning of the process was hesitant and there are still several details to figure out, the urgency with which they have moved has put them far ahead of the game.
The pandemic has resulted in many school systems abandoning traditional methods that have been in place for a while and trying out fresh educational strategies.
Some major disruptions can lead to major advancement. It is believed by some experts that school systems will experience numerous advancements in their method of educating students.
Online learning
The pupils of 2019 and 2020 encountered a challenge that no other pupils before them had ever come across. During the pandemic, they switched from attending school in person to taking classes online. There are numerous advantages associated with virtual education, although there are a few drawbacks too. It is likely that the choice to do something will persist for a considerable amount of time, even after this pandemic is over.
- One benefit offered by online learning is the option of leaning at the comfort of their own home
- Some research shows that students perform better when doing online learning
- Online learning allows more of an opportunity for students to learn at their own pace while also thinking more deeply and critically
- Students and parents have more control over their own learning process
There are disadvantages, and some of those include:
- All teachers not having access to needed tools- Since the schools had to transition to online learning so quickly, many teachers had to adjust their curriculum and are struggling with increased workloads
- Cybersecurity has also been an issue; schools around the country have had to deal with an issue of online hackers breaking into their online learning platforms
Hybrid learning
A hybrid approach to schooling gives the opportunity for only some students to be present in the classroom at the same time, thus providing an opportunity for social distancing. Despite the hurdles, it is thought by certain specialists that hybrid learning will not continue beyond the pandemic era.
Hybrid learning does nothing to alleviate the challenge of parents not having anyone to look after their children, so they must take them to child care centers where there is an increased risk of them interacting with someone who has coronavirus.
Hybrid timetables do not necessarily mean fewer students that each teacher interacts with on a daily basis. Instructors might be equally vulnerable as if ordinary courses were held, resulting in the potential for transmitting the virus to other students.
The upside of it is that it offers the kids a measure of human interaction away from home.
Homeschooling
Educating children at home has been done for a long time and is commonly referred to as homeschooling. Parents, tutors, or online educators are all viable possibilities for homeschooling, whichever is the most suitable for the particular family.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents have taken into consideration homeschooling their children as an alternate option to traditional classroom education. An enormous increase has been reported in the amount of home schooling requests from parents all over the United States. A number of people are anxious about the nature of remote educational classes that the school district can provide, whereas a great many had already thought of homeschooling prior to the outbreak of the virus. According to many who are currently homeschooling, some of the benefits include:
- Less distraction from other students
- Homeschooling offers more educational freedom and gives parents more control over what their children are taught
- Many students learn how to become self-motivated at a younger age
- Your child can move quickly through assignments that are easily for them and spend more time on difficult tasks rather than following along with everyone in the classroom
- Parents are allowed to build stronger relationships with their children
Will more families have additional school options available because of Covid-19?
Parents are searching for alternatives to homeschooling, as well as examining various in-person learning choices. Parents are given additional options with school voucher programs to decide which school their child will go to. The state grants money to parents that can be utilized for private school fees, or in some cases, the money can be applied to homeschooling. Vouchers have been a source of debate in a large number of towns and cities. So, many moms and dads are considering other types of public schooling, like magnet and charter schools.
The pandemic has resulted in increased admiration for both magnet and charter schools. The schools are small and have fewer pupils, so extra money has enabled them to provide safe classroom teaching in numerous cases. In circumstances where it is not possible to have classes in person, the extra resources have enabled schools to offer a better quality of virtual learning to their pupils.
Creative Ways to Earn College Credit from Home
DUAL CREDIT AT HOME
Not all parents may have the knowledge or desire to make their own study program for their adolescent, so they could look into the Dual Credit at Home program, which can help decide which tests are necessary, and what the ideal order is. You’ll discover an exact course of study and a daily agenda to stick to as your learner pursues and attains their bachelor’s diploma while they are in secondary school or shortly afterwards.
Dual Credit at Home provides daily lesson plans for the specified 13 CLEP and DSST exams that fit the general education requirements at Charter Oak State College and Thomas Edison State University, which are two of the most prestigious regionally-accredited online schools.
Textbooks at a high school level typically with a Christian worldview, such as BJUP and Apologia, have been selected for students to draw on as they get ready for their exams.
Families with students and parents of high-school age are welcome to join the exclusive Facebook forum for Dual Credit at Home. In the community, participants can make inquiries and offer replies, narrate successful accounts, and bolster each other while they educate teens in the home environment as well as fulfil college curricular needs.
MODERN STATES
A different approach to getting college credit during this period is presented by Modern States, a charitable foundation made to expand admittance to tertiary education for people who possibly could not manage it due to the excessive expense of fees or other impediments.
A few moms and dads declare that Modern States’ courses are not sufficient by themselves to ready learners to ace the formal college-level assessment. One parent had their adolescent finish a Modern States course AFTER they completed their Dual Credit at Home Study Plan as an appraisal and to be given the voucher, primarily because they wanted the whole process to go perfectly. It was not a legitimate comparison test because they did not use the Modern States course to get ready for the CLEP exam. She had prior knowledge that the Dual Credit at Home Study Program was sufficient, and she was content with the choice of educational resources and perspective, but was not sure that Modern States was capable of getting her prepared to do well on the exam.
Modern State courses are intended to ready learners for the CLEP exams or Advance Placement tests. Parents and students have no influence over the material that is utilized within the program, however textbooks and supplies are furnished throughout the course.
STUDY.COM
Many people decide to gain some of their college credits via Study.com, which has designed entire courses that have been reviewed and approved by ACE, allowing them to be accepted as equivalent to college credits.
You don’t have to purchase books or pay for any extra third-party help because all materials for the course are included in your subscription fee. It is a negative aspect that parents do not have any authority over what topics are taught or what perspective they are presented from within high school curriculum.
In order for students to take courses that are eligible for college credit, they have to sign up for the College Accelerator plan which is offered by Study.com. Before deciding on your college, make sure to investigate if they are willing to acknowledge Study.com credits. More than two hundred and twenty courses available on Study.com have been recognized by ACE and NCCRS as applicable for college credit. However, it is important to note that in order for the credit to count, the course must be part of the particular degree program you are enrolled in.
Not all courses on Study.com qualify for college credit, but they might still be used as part of a homeschool high school curriculum.
For a fee of $200 a month, individuals enrolled in the College Accelerator plan can take as many classes a month as they desire, but can only take two administered tests per month. For an extra $70, an individual can take a maximum of three exams a month.
A mother or father employed Study.com in their dwelling instruction this past season as testing facilities were briefly shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Her daughter was close to finishing college and only needed a few credits, so the mother decided to pay for one month of the College Accelerator plan. By taking two higher-level classes during this time, the daughter was able to complete her degree in May.
https://study.com/college/faq.html
https://study.com/
LUMERIT
Lumerit is focused on assisting those who have completed high school to achieve a college degree in a setting that offers them freedom from a structured class agenda and a physical campus. Similarly, some high school students have been involved in the project.
The previously known entity, “Lumerit”, is undergoing a change to be called “Pearson Accelerated Pathways.” Investment in this program is not cheap; 8 courses over the course of one year will cost $5400 and an unlimited amount of courses will cost $7500. Lumerit personnel will put together a customized plan for you made up of classes from multiple educational institutions. They have sample plans on their website.
Lumerit has created different classes that have gained ACE authorization for awarding collegiate credits. Lumerit can be reached for personalized, tailor-made fees for their courses. However, plenty of their lessons can be accessed in other more economical ways, such as CLEP.
https://lumerit.com/
SOPHIA
Sophia is an education platform offering programs that have acquired the endorsement of ACE and have been suggested for university credit.
For a monthly fee of $79, students can access and work on two courses simultaneously. Once a course has been concluded successfully, ACE can countersign the credit and transfer it to a college that acknowledges Sophia credits. Completing the SOPHIA course successfully will provide college credit – without having to take an individual test with a pass/fail outcome.
Sophia lessons are designed with specific Tasks and Benchmarks that must be accomplished and mastered respectively. The classes are designed for students to move through at their own speed, with all the learning materials integrated directly into the program. Therefore, guardians will not be able to regulate either the educational material or what their adolescents receive for studying.
https://www.sophia.org/
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