It’s more likely than not that Southeast Polk High School students have taken an online course through Edgenuity. Having access to online classes is a perk that many high school students have today. Although these classes can be beneficial, it seems that they can also have a negative impact on education.
Guidance counselor Jessica Nolting helps students through the process of online classes, which includes scheduling, and being able to check in to make sure the class work is getting done. Students haven’t always had access to online classes similar to now.
“Sometimes there are unique circumstances that students face or just really packed schedules so online classes offer an opportunity to still be engaged with some content that doesn’t fit in our day, or that just doesn’t work in our life at that time,” said Nolting.
The most common online classes offered are health, government, economics, and personal finance. Offering these classes benefits students by allowing them to graduate with a smoother transition between grades. Each of these classes are one semester long, and when students have full schedules, classes on campus at DMACC, or other circumstances, these classes allow a great opportunity to complete classes that are required to graduate in a timely manner.
In the future, Southeast Polk High School is hoping to narrow online classes to only offer health, government, economics, and personal finance unless there are truly circumstances causing other classes to be necessary for a student.
Education has drastically changed as access to online classes has grown. This also includes in a class that is in person. Tests, textbooks, and homework are oftentimes online which can be beneficial to some students but others not so much. Students learn in different ways and online classes and digital resources can compromise learning.
“[High school students] and even older grew up in such a different way in terms of digital worlds. So, I don’t think we can just shove it aside. There has to be an embrace to mesh these two things. And that would be a much different challenge than what I saw when I was teaching over a decade ago,” said Nolting.
Online classes are a great opportunity for high school students to be able to fill their schedule with more classes to take full advantage of Southeast Polk’s educational resources. Whether it is to work classes within a packed schedule, or just for a students’ convenience, despite their flaws, online classes through Edgenuity are very helpful for students.
