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K-12 VIRTUAL
SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLING Doug Furey and Elizabeth Murphy |
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Virtual schools
-- organizations that offer provincial or state curriculum programs to
on-line students through web-based classrooms -- exist in all provinces in
Canada (Haughey & Muirhead,
2004) and most states in the United States (Cavanaugh, 2004). To attend
a virtual school implies that a student is taking a complete curriculum
solely from an on-line organization; to participate in virtual schooling
implies that a student is attending a traditional or conventional
face-to-face school and supplementing course offerings with virtual classes
(Barker, Wendel & Richmond, 1999).
Participation in virtual schooling as a supplement to traditional schooling
is the more common situation in the According to Monique Bélanger,
the former Director of Policy and Projects for the Canadian School Boards'
Association, there is no longer a need to question whether or not virtual
schools can deliver on-line education to students. She believes that
this is already proven and learning is being transformed in new and powerful
ways (Barker & Wendel, 2001). The purpose
of this paper is to present a descriptive review of the literature on virtual
schools and schooling in a Canadian context. Virtual schools and
schooling are defined and described and some of the factors enabling their
growth are presented. The paper also synthesizes some of the literature
related to the impact of virtual schools and schooling on teaching and
learning in general. From the historical perspective of technological
development, virtual schools are a contemporary form or variant of distance education
(Aronson & Timms, 2002; Russell, 2004) and Acan
be understood as a form of schooling that uses online computers to provide
some or all of the student=s education@ (Russell, 2004, p. 2). However, Smith (2000)
suggests that virtual schools are more than the use of online computers and a
series of technological innovations, and that they can be better
characterized by the types of possible teacher-student interactions.
Russell (2004) categorizes virtual schools Aby imagining where they
might be placed on a scale of face-to-face contact between teachers and
students@ (p. 3). His scale has a range from virtual
schools Awhere
the teacher and student never meet, and there is no requirement for a student
to enter a school building@ to Aconventional schools
where students use online computers in classrooms or labs for some of their
lessons@ (p. 3). In 1999, Barker et al. characterized
virtual schools and schooling in a similar manner through the following
definitions: A virtual school is
one that offers the mandated provincial instructional program to students
through electronic means (i.e., computer-mediated and on-line via the
Internet). A virtual school is characterized by: a structured learning
environment wherein the program is under the complete supervision of a
teacher; electronic delivery to students who are at home or in a physical
setting other than that of a teacher; and instruction that may be synchronous
or asynchronous. (p. 5) Virtual schooling meets
the same criteria identified above, but the program is more limited in scope
(i.e., not an entire program). It is an optional enhancement to a school=s regular,
face-to-face programming for access and choice purposes. Virtual schooling
takes place at all levels (i.e., college, university, adult education,
elementary and secondary schooling). (p. 6) School district, provincial, and consortia virtual
schools are usually publicly-funded and do not charge students for enrollment. CDLI and OpenSchoolBC
are examples of publicly-funded virtual schools. SOFAD (Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec), a consortium based in the province
of Quebec, develops web-based courses for use by private and school district
virtual schools. In contrast, private and charter virtual schools
specialize in providing complete programs for students who are home-schooled
full-time due to such factors as parent choice, religious needs, geographic
limitations or physical disabilities. These Afor-profit@ schools are in the business of education.
The Hence, a virtual school is considered to be an
organization offering partial or complete, government-approved, web-based curriculum
programs to students. Virtual schooling is considered to be either Afull-time@
attendance at a virtual school or Apart-time@ attendance through participation in a
limited number of virtual classes. Factors enabling growth The predominant factor enabling the growth of
virtual schools and schooling is access to the Internet which enables the
delivery of educational content to schools and to homes (Barker et al.,
1999). AThe increasing capacity, flexibility, and suitability
of information and communication technologies to educational applications,
together with the continuing decrease in the cost of hardware@ (Baker et al., 1999, p. 56) was
identified by Farrell (1999) as a factor promoting the growth of virtual
schools. Russell (2004) argues that Aas information technology continues to develop, there is a correspondingly increased capacity to
deliver relevant curricula online@
(p. 6). In Another factor enabling the growth of virtual
schools is their ability to provide curriculum equity to high school students
with otherwise limited course options. As Zucker
and Kozma (2003) argue, AThe growing insistence
on a high-quality education for all students is just one factor that
underlies a large increase in the demand by parents for alternative
educational options@ (p. 126). In Another factor enabling the growth of virtual
schools is the growing variety of learners with alternate educational needs. AVirtual
schooling [is giving] flexibility to parents
and students who, for a variety of reasons, [who want to be] free from the
restrictions of in-school attendance@ (Haughey & Muirhead, 2004, p. 53), and new categories of Afull-time@ students are starting to enroll in on-line courses (Lorenzo, 2001). Besides public and private schooling, students may
be home-schooled due to religious preferences, a fear of traditional schools,
a disability, medical needs, travel requirements, etc. For example, at least
two full-time students attempting to complete the provincial curriculum
on-line through CDLI live in Hunter and Smith (2001) identified school violence
as a factor: AParents
in Smith's study (2000) believed that having children in a virtual school
environment would decrease their exposure to bullying and violence and might,
therefore, provide the potential for greater learning@ (p. 200). Litke (1998) also supports
this argument, stating that students indicated they enrolled in the program
because of Aproblems at school such as harassment by other students, not fitting into the
school setting, problems with teachers, and the >atmosphere= of public schools@ (The
Student=s Perspectives section, &1). Two large scale surveys of home-schoolers
and their parents conducted by Barker and Wendel
(2001) and Optimal Performance (2001), both cited
dissatisfaction with public schools as a key reason for students attending a
virtual school on a full-time basis. Through virtual schools, home-schooled
students have an alternate source for completing provincial programs.
Educational reform within Virtual schooling is also an option for sick and
disabled students and students with special learning needs or behavior
problems. Blomeyer (2002) suggests that the availability of an
on-line course may mean that an injured and homebound high school senior can
fulfill graduation requirements. Müller and Ahern
(2004) suggest that significant numbers of students with disabilities are
enrolled in virtual schools: one virtual school reporting 775 out of
11,700 students having disabilities; and another reporting 1,700 out of
18,000 students having disabilities. Parent and public perceptions of the possible
benefits of distance education have led to an increased demand for virtual
schools and schooling (Blomeyer, 2002).
Some parents believe that having children in a virtual school environment
would decrease their exposure to bullying and violence (Hunter & Smith,
2001). In addition, while some traditional schools are experiencing
overcrowded classes, a lack of qualified teachers, lower workplace quality
for teachers and higher student dropout rates ( Another factor enabling the growth of virtual schools
is cost-effectiveness and shrinking provincial budgets. Russell (2004)
calls this philosophy Aeconomic rationalism@ (p. 7). While a traditional school that
serves hundreds of students would cost millions of dollars to build, a
virtual school can be started for a fraction of that cost (Blystone, 1993). Chaney (2001) argues that Ain an age when many schools are overcrowded or crumbling, cyber
learning makes financial sense: schools that use distance learning may not
necessarily need to modernize or build new buildings to provide quality cyber
instruction@ (Considerations for Public Schools, &1). Impact on Teaching and
Learning The teaching of
on-line courses is no longer novel and experimental but has become Aan almost irresistible force@ in K-12 and
post-secondary education (Freedman, Darrow & Watson, 2002) and can Atransform learning in new and
powerful ways@ (Monique Bélanger, cited
in Barker & Wendel, 2001). Fulton and Kober (2002)
suggest that Aone of the most
remarkable trends [in education] is the rise of virtual or Internet-based
schools, which are transforming basic ideas about what a school is, what a
classroom is, when and where education occurs, and how instruction is
delivered@ (p. 7). Hunter
and Smith (2001) describe virtual schooling as Aan educational
alternative that has the potential to change conventional learning contexts@ (p. 197) bringing together students, teachers, and information from
around the world. Some virtual schools no longer require physical
structures for students and teachers - a school no longer needs to be defined
as a group of classrooms housed in a building (Campbell & Guisinger, 2003). Virtual schools also have the potential of
operating outside the barriers of time. AVirtual schooling has
introduced notions of "anytime/anyplace" learning@ (Hunter & Smith, 2001, p. 197). Because virtual schools are
web-based, schools can remain open twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year,
including summer school, if necessary. In describing the Electronic
High School, Lang (2004) states that Astudents are able to enroll any day of the year and work at their own pace
until the course is completed, although the school expects students to
complete courses within twelve months@ (p. 14). Asynchronous materials are
available at any time. Synchronous classes and discussions are not
limited by the availability of school buildings, but only by the availability
of students and teachers. In Traditionally, schooling means the teaching to
students of curriculum content developed by Aexperts@ associated with government departments of
education and curriculum development. The instructional design of
traditional courses for the virtual classroom has resulted not only in
media-rich multi-layered courses, but the development of instructional
strategies to facilitate communications between teachers and students.
For example, for the design of its web-based courses, CDLI hired content
experts who were lead teachers in traditional classrooms to author web-based
courses (M. Barry, personal communication, Teaching can be different in virtual classrooms.
Russell (2004) argues that Avirtual teachers will find that some new skills are
required, while others are less important@ (p.
16). In some virtual schools, such as the One of the most noted and important changes being observed in virtual schooling is the
transformation in the role of the student and in how he or she learns in this
type of schooling environment. Kaldahl (2003)
suggests that the benefits of virtual schooling include: not having to sit
through topics already mastered, greater choice of courses, learning without
the usual constraints of time and place, and being able to enroll in advanced and honors
courses. Instead of students going to school, the virtual school comes
to them through their computer screen. Students read lessons, take
tests, ask questions and get answers "virtually" as they would do
in a traditional physical school building but without leaving their keyboard.
Virtual schools allow students to proceed at their own pace: AStudents can listen to lectures more than once and can take the time needed to
think about a question without worrying about holding back the rest of the
class@ (Chaney, 2001). AIf a student chooses to
complete schoolwork at 2:00 a.m., the wait for the next scheduled class that
would be required with a traditional school will not apply@ (Russell, 2004, p. 9) The collaboration between students of
different grade levels who attend different schools creates an exciting
dimension to the learning process. Students love to share what they
have learned with a real audience (Campbell & Guisinger,
2003). Students and teachers have the ability to form friendships with people
all over the world (Blystone, 1993). In Smith=s 2000 study of high school students from Alberta
enrolled in virtual courses, she discovered that students received more
personal attention when enrolled in virtual classrooms and that they reported
Apositive changes in their social and emotional growth@ (Hunter & Smith, 2001, p. 206). Students working in virtual
settings are reported to be more highly motivated than those working in
conventional settings. Russell (2004) argues that Achanging notions of responsibility, accountability and student discipline are
also likely to arise in virtual school environments@ (p. 15). According to Hunter and Smith (2001), virtual
schooling has introduced new opportunities for independent learning in which
students accept some of the responsibility for learning and they learn to
govern their own learning: ATeachers report that on-line students are more likely to
negotiate the terms of their assignments and that they succeed in this
because they make a good academic case for what they want to do@ (p. 204). In fact, participants in Smith's study reported role
reversals in the virtual classroom, exchanging responsibilities and thereby
triggering role changes for the students and teacher. Ultimately,
changes to student roles and increased opportunities for learning may be the
most significant impact of virtual schooling. Alternatively, although some students may be
successful in virtual classrooms because of personal strengths brought to the
environment, from their study of the In spite of the potential for teaching and learning
made possible by virtual schools and schooling, there are nonetheless some
limitations that should be recognized. Russell (2004) suggests that Aan
important item relating to the quality of a student=s educational experience in a virtual school is the recognition that
not all students are suited to online learning@ (p.
17). Zucker and Kozma
(2003) state that Ait has become apparent that there are teachers and
students who will not flourish in virtual courses@ (p. 109) and that Aonline courses demand greater independence and
responsibility of students than face-to-face courses@ (p. 122). Zucker & Kozma
(2003) maintain that Ait is apparent that interactions in virtual
classrooms are not the same, in many important respects, as those in
face-to-face classes@ (p. 100). Russell (2004) argues that some
students struggle in virtual classrooms because the immediacy of
student-teacher and student-student interaction is diminished and that
multiple informal modes of communication are lost: AWhen
humans use technology in their daily lives, there are usually some
disadvantages to be considered Y. there are some grounds for believing that
face-to-face instruction can be superior to distance education@ (p. 10). Russell suggests that student independent learning skills,
motivation, time management abilities and comfort level with the technology
should be considered before a student is permitted to register for online
courses. Conclusion Improved technological literacy and Internet access
have enabled educators and governments to establish virtual schools as
partial solutions to the problems of curriculum equity, changing
demographics, shortages in specific teaching disciplines and the need to be
cost-effective. However, although technologies are necessary for
virtual schools, virtual schools are not necessarily successful because of
the technologies. As Bailey (2001) suggests, Aon-line learning or e-learning isn't about digital technologies any
more than classroom teaching is about blackboards.@
Virtual schooling is about technologically enabling constructive human
interaction; Ait isn't about the boxes and the wires. It is about
teaching and learning@ (&17). In arguing that virtual schools and schooling can
be better characterized by the types of human interaction associated with
teaching and learning than the types of technologies used, it is important to
reiterate that virtual schools are real schools, not isolated schools lost in
cyberspace but part of an educational system with growth limited by many of
the same factors as traditional schools B such as demographics, budgets, legislation,
equity, staffing and technology. In this light, it is interesting to speculate
whether some aspects of virtual schools and schooling have developed as a
model for change, a model for the reorganization of traditional schools and
schooling. If virtual schools are seen as an experiment within an
educational system (Zucker & Kozma, 2003), have they provided any insights or raised
any questions of educational pedagogy which could benefit face-to-face
teaching and learning? Russell (2004) suggests that Athe
radical nature of the alternative that they [virtual schools] offer may yet
lead to reconsideration of the nature of school education@ (p. 21). Hence, the future growth of virtual schools and
schooling may not only lead to the re-design of existing school systems but
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