Sonshine Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I would like to consider some online AP courses for my HS age girls for next year. We have access to a lot of co-ops but the drive time and money as well as scheduling conflicts means we can't take all of their outsourced classes that way. I also want to be able to put AP after some of their courses on their transcripts. They are self motivated but I worry if an online course is easier to put off than an in person course. What have been your students' experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We are taking AP Stats this year through PA Homeschoolers, and it has gone so well that he will be taking two courses next year: AP Government and AP Chemistry. I guess I don't understand about putting off. For us, the deadlines meant it was much easier to put off than my work than online work. Also, I had been bugging him to label his graphs in math for years. He gets massive cuts to his test grade in Stats and tada..he is labeling his graphs. I don't know which classes you are looking at, but the best thing about Stats has been the teacher feedback. She posts on here sometimes ( Blue Hen) . She has really helped him understand how to do the question sets. They are currently grading their own question sets, which is really useful. She has deadlines, but she can be flexible with reasonable, timely requests from the parent. For example, we were moving a great grandmother into a nursing home and cleaning out her house. Her family was here to help us. I just let her know ahead of time and we were able to delay the test scheduled for that day. It has provided accountablilty for us and my son has learned quite a few good skills ( or is learning them:)). Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Onlines classes come in different flavors -- 1) Self-scheduled, self-taught, like the ones from U. Nebraska Online High School and Keystone. Only for self-motivated students and, in our experience, much less rigorous than other classes. 2) Asynchronous -- the PA Homeschoolers AP classes are mostly asynchronous. They require a lot of dedication and self-motivation, but the teachers have enough helps and checks that a reasonable student will not only keep up but enjoy the challenge. My kids have really enjoyed all of their asynchronous PAH classes. 3) Synchronous -- the classes "meet" at a specific time. These classes are much more teacher-dependent. Some teachers handle the video technology well and lead a dynamic class, while others get bogged down by the technology and slow typing speed and a a result the classes are pokey. What we have enjoyed/appreciated about online classes -- 1) Student independence from mom 2) Guided self-teaching -- -the kids learned fantastic study skills! 3) Teacher feedback -- many of their teachers were just incredible people who really pored themselves into teaching the material. Usually the feedback on their essays was incredibly helpful. What we have disliked -- 1) Sometimes harder to get feedback or questions answered. (PAH teachers are great at this, but we have had others who are not.....) 2) If a student is having issues in a class, the parents has to be very observant and keep on checking up on work. (Only has happened in one class with one child, but still.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 This might be something to consider. The few classes my kids took online were practically a joke. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 You have to research the classes carefully, but the classes my kids have taken were anything but a joke. Online classes have allowed my kids to have an amazing education while I stayed sane! Their teachers, several of whom have had master's or Ph.D.'s in their subject, have by in large been strong, dedicated teachers who have enriched my kids lives both personally and educationally. I can't imagine homeschooling high school without doing at least some online classes, but of course everyone has a different approach to homeschooling high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I should have qualified my answer. :) The few college classes my kids took online were practically a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Onlines classes come in different flavors -- 1) Self-scheduled, self-taught, like the ones from U. Nebraska Online High School and Keystone. Only for self-motivated students and, in our experience, much less rigorous than other classes. 2) Asynchronous -- the PA Homeschoolers AP classes are mostly asynchronous. They require a lot of dedication and self-motivation, but the teachers have enough helps and checks that a reasonable student will not only keep up but enjoy the challenge. My kids have really enjoyed all of their asynchronous PAH classes. 3) Synchronous -- the classes "meet" at a specific time. These classes are much more teacher-dependent. Some teachers handle the video technology well and lead a dynamic class, while others get bogged down by the technology and slow typing speed and a a result the classes are pokey. What we have enjoyed/appreciated about online classes -- 1) Student independence from mom 2) Guided self-teaching -- -the kids learned fantastic study skills! 3) Teacher feedback -- many of their teachers were just incredible people who really pored themselves into teaching the material. Usually the feedback on their essays was incredibly helpful. What we have disliked -- 1) Sometimes harder to get feedback or questions answered. (PAH teachers are great at this, but we have had others who are not.....) 2) If a student is having issues in a class, the parents has to be very observant and keep on checking up on work. (Only has happened in one class with one child, but still.....) :iagree: We have taken online classes from a variety of providers and have experienced a wide variety in quality. The best asynchronous classes have a very involved instructor and student-to-student communication via a message board or something like that. Plus, they have a very clear syllabus and prompt grading. We have been very happy with classes from PA homeschoolers, Art of Problem Solving and Regina Coeli Online Academy. We hated Northwestern University's Gifted Learning Links. The class from Scholars Online was OK, but we had some problems with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I am having my kids take some classes through Veritas Press Scholars Academy. From what I understand, they are very rigorous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 I am having my kids take some classes through Veritas Press Scholars Academy. From what I understand, they are very rigorous. We have done Veritas Press Scholars Academy classes this year. My oldest is in Latin II and Rhetoric I and my middle is in History Survey and Transition. They are excellent classes. This is our first year with Vertias online. We used a different online place for Latin I last year and while it was ok, it was not as rigorous as VP and my daughter didn't like it as much. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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