The Art of Teaching, Online

The old joke of “those who can’t do, teach” is one of the great misfires in perception, comedic or otherwise. We live in a singular time in human history where more people who desire an education can go to school than have ever been able to in the past. Not only does this extend to those who can physically get themselves to campus, but the internet has become a great leveler, where anyone can find classes, seminars, and courses to enroll in and attend. 

In the time of COVID, online education has only grown. This has of course been due to necessity and has not been without its growing pains for legions of educators the world over who have built their career on seeing students face-to-face. But what ends up as systemic change is often brought on first by necessity. In fact, there are many schools that have read the tea leaves and seen a fundamental change in how schooling is going to be done in the future, and have put their entire curriculum online. 

Online Schooling is the Future

In Utah, online schools aren’t just making changes to how learning should be done during the pandemic - they are legitimizing the entire notion of getting an online education. According to studies conducted before the spread of COVID-19, eLearning was already projected to grow as a financial powerhouse, grossing more than $6 billion within 5 years, from 2017-2022. Those figures will only grow more exponentially now that the pandemic has driven students and teachers alike to take part in school online.

It’s not just revenue that is seeing a huge shift upward in the eLearning space. Statistics across the board are trending that direction as well:

• In a five-year period (2012-2017), online enrollment in collegiate degrees increased by nearly 43% or one million students.
• The number of students enrolled in classes on campus during that same period decreased by 7%, while the numbers online have steadily increased year-by-year.
• Utah schools have seen distance learning enrollment skyrocket as well, as colleges and their extensions have seen--in some places--numbers increase by over 80%.

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, however. As was mentioned above, Utah schools are finding ways to not only survive in an online environment but to thrive. Institutions like Mountain Heights Academy are leading the charge to establish and maintain a high level of academic excellence in the digital sphere. Mountain Heights achieves this by creating a greater emphasis on one-on-one teacher/student interaction, student flexibility to finish their work in structured weekly modules, and chances for school leadership. The need for online schools is there, and there doesn’t need to be disappointment as we settle for an infrastructure that was thrown together at the last minute.

Utah Online Schools Can Be Better

It has been reported as recently as December of 2020, that many students in the United States are falling behind in their studies thanks to the move to online education. Students feel a lack of motivation because “online classes are lecture-heavy, repetitive, and devoid of student conversation.” This is not an uncommon result. As schools across the country are finding out, student performance, satisfaction, and health will suffer as long as the infrastructure remains cobbled together and underfunded. Utah schools can be better than this.

The bleaker outcome can feel inevitable if there is no reliable infrastructure to accommodate online learning. This is where online schools like Mountain Heights Academy excel. They have structured all courses, tools, and extracurricular activities around the student’s needs, treating the internet as a help instead of a hindrance. And the success stories keep rolling in with every graduating class. 

• National polls indicate that over 52% of students who took part in eLearning consider their experience online was better than traditional learning in the classroom. 
• Students pay less for their online education than attending in the traditional classroom, which means the return on investment is greater. 

With schools in Utah leading the way for exemplary online teaching, the number of satisfied students will be a lot higher as they feel better equipped to function in the workplace in this digital age.