The Virtual High School : teaching Generation V

Just a decade ago, the notion of attending high school on the Internet seemed futuristic. Yet, today, thousands of students are doing just that. This authoritative volume is the first to provide a thorough, detailed account of the virtual high school. Based on a 5-year study conducted by experienced researchers at SRI International, this book answers such questions as: What is the difference between an online and a face-to-face classroom? What is it like to take, or to teach, an online course? Are online courses effective? What are the problems with its use? Will this new technology change the way teaching and learning is done?

Providing invaluable insight into an increasingly popular educational technology, this book:

Examines the phenomenal growth of virtual high schooling, especially through the lens of one of the pioneering efforts--the Hudson Public Schools-Concord Consortium Virtual High School (VHS). Draws on a massive research study that includes surveys, focus groups, classroom observations, and interviews with superintendents, principals, teachers, students, and leaders of many virtual high schools. Provides a balanced perspective that addresses both the strengths and weaknesses of online learning, including lessons learned. Provides crucial information to assist educators and policymakers in creating, adapting, and learning how to effectively use these new online schools. Examines the implications that online schooling has for the future of education.

Author Notes

Andrew Zucker is Associate Director of the Center for Education Policy at SRI International and Robert Kozma is Principal Scientist at SRI's Center for Technology in Learning. Louise Yarnall and Camille Marder are research social scientists at SRI International.

Chris Dede

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
1. Online Learning and Educational Change	p. 1
The Promise (and Problems) of Technology for Educational Change	p. 2
Origins of the Virtual High School	p. 6
Other Online Schools	p. 10
Tinkering Toward Utopia	p. 13
Major Questions That Organize This Book	p. 15
2. The Virtual High School	p. 18
The Structure of VHS	p. 19
Participating Schools	p. 21
VHS Teachers	p. 22
The Teachers Learning Conference	p. 23
VHS Students	p. 26
The Catalog and the School Calendar	p. 27
Course Credit	p. 28
Site Coordinators	p. 32
VHS Central Staff	p. 33
Technological Infrastructure	p. 34
Evaluation Activities	p. 35
One High School's Experiences with VHS	p. 36
Comparisons of VHS with Other Online Schools	p. 40
Summary and Conclusions	p. 45
3. The VHS Experience	p. 48
The LearningSpace Environment and an Exemplary VHS NetCourse	p. 49
The Experience in Other VHS NetCourses	p. 60
Comparison of VHS and Face-to-Face Courses	p. 68
What Makes a Good Virtual Course?	p. 72
Experiences in Other Online Programs	p. 79
Conclusions	p. 80
4. Outcomes of a Virtual School	p. 82
Participants' Satisfaction with VHS	p. 82
Outcomes of Students' Participation in VHS Courses	p. 84
VHS's Impacts on Teachers	p. 96
Outcomes for Administrators and Schools	p. 97
Outcomes for Other Virtual Schools	p. 98
Conclusions	p. 99
5. Lessons Learned	p. 100
Lessons from VHS	p. 101
Lessons About Virtual Schooling	p. 109
Conclusions	p. 121
6. The Future of Virtual High Schools	p. 123
Why Virtual Secondary Education Is Growing	p. 124
Potential Barriers to the Growth of Virtual Schooling	p. 129
Approaches to Virtual Schooling	p. 133
What Does the Future Hold?	p. 137
References	p. 147
Index	p. 151
About the Authors	p. 159

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Table of Contents