Submitted by Cathryn Chellis, Technology Learning Coach
Note: The information in this profile represents 2013 unless otherwise indicated.
School Overview
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School Description
Blended Learning Program
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Program Model
Program model: Enriched Virtual
Model Description
Students divide their time between attending class in-person and learning remotely elsewhere on campus at the teacher’s discretion. Students are not required to attend class each day and they spend the majority of their time learning remotely using online delivery of content and instruction.
Program Description
How much time do students spend on campus in this blended-learning program? How much of this time do students spend learning online or with educational software?
Students spend almost 100 percent of their time in this blended-learning program on campus but students are not required to physically attend class every day. If a teacher doesn’t require the students to attend class, students go to a designated space in the library where they work through their assignments using online delivery of curriculum. Students enrolled in senior seminar are permitted to leave during the last period on their “online” day. The amount of time students spend learning online or with educational software depends on the individual teacher’s lesson plan and schedule. Some classes may have students spend 50 percent of the class learning online, while other classes may have students spend only 20-30 percent of the class learning online.
Briefly describe the offline components of this blended-learning program.
The blended-learning program is actually a group of individual blended classes, so students engaged in the blended-learning program also take more traditional classes and thus learn through several different modalities including direct instruction, group projects, assigned reading, etc.
How does this blended-learning program fit into the rest of the students’ school day?
The school operates on what they call a modified block schedule in which students progress through either a nine-period day or a five-period day in which some of the periods are twice as long. The blended-learning program is actually just a collection of individually blended courses, so students may engage in blended learning in second period before learning in a more traditional class in third period. In short, the blended classes fit seamlessly into a student’s regular school day and students can take more than one blended-learning course if they want to.
What are the teachers’ roles and responsibilities in both the online and offline components of this blended-learning program?
At the beginning of the program in September, 2012, teachers transitioned an existing face-to-face course to a blended-learning model. They designed the curriculum, crafted lesson plans for their courses, and determined how much time students would spend learning in the classroom and how much time they would spend learning remotely online. When students are in the classroom, teachers have traditional direct instruction such as lecturing, assigned reading, labs, and supporting students with assignments. In addition to designing their own effective blended-learning course and crafting face-to-face assignments to support the online curriculum, teachers are primarily responsible for making themselves available during the day to help with student questions.
What other adults are involved in this blended-learning program (e.g., paraprofessionals, learning coaches, counselors) and what are their roles and responsibilities?
In addition to Cathryn Chellis, the school’s technology learning coach who helped teach the teachers about designing and facilitating online courses and also helped design the blended-learning courses herself, the school employs two paid instructional technology interns. These interns are college students who are preparing to become teachers and their primary responsibility is to provide technical support to students while they are learning remotely.
Briefly describe the set-up of physical space for this blended-learning program.
Since students are expected to bring their laptops to their blended-learning class, the blended-learning classrooms are traditional classrooms with desks, a front of the room, and smart boards. The space where students learn remotely is merely a sectioned-off space in the library where students have access to nearby desktop computers. The school is looking in to re-configuring the space so students can group together more easily and students can find a quieter space to do their assignments.
How are students grouped within this blended-learning program?
The students are grouped together by course.
Do students have some element of control over the pacing of their learning? Are students tied to a semester-based course schedule or can they complete courses at any time? Briefly describe any requirements or benchmarks in place to ensure student progress.
In the pilot program, students are tied to a semester-based course schedule and have regular benchmarks in place to ensure students are learning the material and progressing through the course. Students may have some element of control over pacing, depending on the course/instructor.
Describe the academic results of the program, using quantitative data where possible.
Implementation of the blended-learning pilot program (classes) only began in January of 2013, so the school doesn’t have quantitative academic results yet.
What have been the biggest obstacles in implementing this blended-learning program? What has needed adjustment along the way?
Some of the challenges included providing technical support for students outside of the “traditional” school day and scheduling. In order to provide students with some control over the pacing and “place” of their learning, the district hopes to schedule as many blended courses during the first and last periods of the day. With parental permission, students would be able to leave the district on their online days.
Have you or are you planning to scale your program model to more/other schools?
The school plans to add at least four new blended learning courses to the program next school year.
Contact Information
Name: Cathryn Chellis
Title: Technology Learning Coach
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.napls.us/high