July 2006 — Features
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Using Technology to Expand Opportunity: Going Virtual
Nearly 98 percent of eighth-graders in the course scored “basic” or above on Louisiana’s high-stakes Louisiana Education Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21) test, with 42.5 percent scoring “mastery” or better. Perhaps most impressive, 84 percent of enrolled students successfully completed the course— up from a 61 percent completion rate during the pilot year of the project.Reaching Rural Students
In Alaska, more than 25 percent of school districts offer eLearning classes through videoconferencing and the web. The Lower Yukon School District, in cooperation with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Center for Distance Education, offers English 111 as a dual-credit opportunity for rural students. Fifty percent of eligible students took advantage of the web conferencing course and earned college credit. Additionally, in 2005, the Kuspuk School District began distance education via videoconferencing, through support from Enhancing Education Through Technology and Rural Utilities Service grants. The district offers traditional courses in AP English, Algebra I, and Algebra II, as well as unique offerings such as Publications, Service Learning, and FAA Ground School. Imagine the value of completing ground school in one of the district’s eight villages accessible only by air and river travel.
Similarly, since 2004, West Virginia’s Educational Development
for Planning and Conducting Evaluations (ED PACE) program
has offered a hybrid virtual Spanish I course for rural
middle school students who lack access to certified Spanish teachers.
ED PACE is one of 10 recipients of the US Department of
Education’s evaluation grants, and conducted a quasi-experimental,
scientifically based research study on student performance in
its online Spanish class. Using a sample of 250 virtual and 170
traditional classroom students, the research found that students
taking online Spanish performed on a par with those taking faceto-
face Spanish classes.
Getting Engaged
There’s more to eLearning than accommodating need and helping states and districts meet NCLB teacher mandates. Virtual courses also have a positive effect on student engagement and achievement. In Pinal County, AZ, a consortium of four small school districts pools technology resources to provide videoconferencing professional development for teachers and stimulating learning experiences for students. Teachers attend training on how to effectively use videoconferencing, and also participate in coaching sessions. Videoconferencing is then incorporated into course content that includes virtual field trips and special presentations. Teachers have found videoconferencing to offer an excellent opportunity for sharing real-life content, resulting in better student engagement.
