Online Courses for High School: Getting Ahead of the Curve

Technology is the future and to get an edge, it is key to integrate technology as part of the medium for learning. A great way to do this is to try learning via online courses. One local school is getting into a competitive edge by pushing technology into the classroom.

In Boise, Idaho, the students of Sugar-Salem High School have an online course as an integral part of their curriculum. They can do this through the online state supplemental program dubbed IDLA or Idaho Digital Learning Academy, an state-wide online high school program that offers 100+ courses taught by qualified and talented teachers.

The school has required at least one online course throughout the student's four-year stay in the school. All the online courses are to be taken from the school's computer lab to ensure attendance. The students can opt to work with their course using the computer and the webcam. They can work through the course by themselves or they can work with an instructor that's online and ready to discuss the lesson and even answer their questions.

The school administrator has recognized that the online courses are actually excellent training and preparation for the students as they ready themselves for college. Similar to the setup in college, the students are given materials they can read and study individually via the computer. After a student has finished the material, there is a test that he has to go through in order to complete the course. These online classes range from courses such as Psychology, sociology, advanced math, health occupation or foreign languages.

The student has the freedom to work on the course at their own pace, they are, however, required to submit weekly assignments.The online teaching allows students to take courses that are not available in their school. This also allows students to take courses from teachers who are known experts in the subjects they are teaching.

The online courses have also received positive reviews from the teachers who handle the online classes. They enable the teachers to handle students from all over and for multiple classes at the same time. The online courses are also cost advantageous, especially for districts that are budget-strapped and can't add more courses. This allows districts to fill in the curriculum gaps that they may have.

More on IDLA

IDLA offers online high school courses to public schools in Idaho and teachers are required to be certified to teach. The courses are 9 to 16 weeks long and are designed to coincide with the semestral or trimestral schedule of the school. These include interactive lessons (with a teacher as supervisor), readings and assignments. There is also the availability of webinars where teachers and students can hold online classes and meetings.

Also, even though teachers can handle multiple students from different locations at the same time, the number of students per class is limited to ensure that the teacher also provides enough attention per student. The courses offered are also aligned with the achievement standards of the state.

Alternative Online Courses with The American Academy

Public schools have seen the advantage of online learning. If you want an alternative to this, you can turn to The American Academy for quality online courses. The American Academy has over 100 courses with highly affordable rates, which provides the complete set of courses for you to be able to earn high school credits, enough for you to get your high school diploma.

The courses offered by The American Academy provide more flexibility and freedom, as the students can start coursework at any time and finish these at their own pace. The American Academy is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.