Key points:
As more students look to flexible learning modalities to meet their varying needs, it is more essential than ever to ensure that online learning programs meet high-quality standards and prepare students for success in college and the workforce.
Many people envision online learning programs as emergency pandemic online learning, which paints a wildly inaccurate picture of the potential online learning programs have to connect students with near-infinite learning opportunities.
“High-quality accredited programs can be effective–and in some cases, more effective, depending on the student,” said Carol DeFuria, president and CEO of the nonprofit VHS Learning, which has nearly 30 years of experience providing online programs to students and schools. “Students want more choices. They want career and technical education and things that can prepare them for the future. It’s so difficult as a high school student–you want [experiences] before you choose a career.”
“Providing authentic opportunities for kids to have meaningful experiences in a career-related field in high school is just really critical,” added Amy Michalowski, VHS Learning’s dean and an executive board member of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance (VLLA). “There are many CTE domains that can absolutely be taught with 100 percent fidelity in an online course. The world is changing, and kids need to be exposed to what work looks like in their future–not just what learning looks like.”
This career exposure is just one facet of what makes online learning programs so critical for many schools and students.
“I think it’s helpful when folks use a program that centralizes resources,” DeFuria said. “We hear that schools in remote or underserved areas don’t have teaching resources. That’s where online learning can really benefit schools and individual students–we can take teachers from all over and centralize them in a place students can come to and get classes and courses.”
This level of access can increase student achievement and engagement–an added bonus in an age where AI and social media make capturing students’ attention a challenge in the best of times.
“It’s not just about having access, but it’s also about having interesting opportunities to engage students and get them excited about learning,” DeFuria said. “Maybe it’s a law class, a class in veterinary medicine, or forensics. Plus, online, you have a more diverse group of students, which helps prepare you as a student for what happens beyond high school in a global society. It’s so important that students see the world beyond their classroom.”
To ensure that online learning programs remain rigorous, they must adhere to high-quality standards.
Michalowski is co-leading a refresh of the National Standards for Quality Online Programs–part of an overall update of the National Standards for Quality (NSQ), a set of openly licensed standards designed to help evaluate and improve online education.
The VLLA collaborates with Quality Matters (QM) and the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC) to oversee the standards and ensure they remain relevant. In addition to online programs, the NSQ leadership team is addressing the two other domains of the National Standards for Quality–online courses and online teaching. Michalowski has partnered with Dr. Chris Harrington of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute to co-chair the update of the online program standards.
“It’s time for a reflection on the standards, making sure they’re current, relevant, and capturing the elements of high-quality online programming for students,” Michalowski said. The revised standards will be available in early 2025 at the National Standards for Quality Online Learning website.
“We’ve been working to ensure that different programs see themselves reflected in the standards–that a school leader can use the standards as a blueprint for a high-quality program if they’re trying to launch a program. That a state leader could use the standards to evaluate high-quality online programming in their state. We’re trying to make the standards broad enough to be used by many different stakeholders,” she added.
Ensuring top-tier standards means educators and students are connected with online learning programs that will deliver promised opportunities and results.
“It’s important for us to give back and to make sure the standards stay high,” DeFuria said. “As new players come into the industry, we want to make sure that it’s thoughtful, that the education is what students need. We’re making sure more students have the opportunity, that more teachers have the PD for best practices–it’s really important work.”
“One thing that’s always been true of online and hybrid learning is that it’s very important to have clarity around outcomes, goals, and some driving best practices [so that] if I’m a parent and I’m looking to choose a high-quality program for my child, I know what program to choose,” Michalowski said. “It’s very important to make sure evidence-based practices are at the forefront, that outcomes are clearly articulated so folks know what they’re getting from a program and so students understand exactly what’s expected of them.”
