JumpyTheFrog Posted February 15, 2021 Posted February 15, 2021 Is there a thread with a list of self-paced online classes? If not, can we start a list? 1 Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 Are self-paced classes really unusual? 1 Quote
8filltheheart Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 I think the more common term is asynchronous. 1 Quote
teachermom2834 Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 Self paced like Thinkwell or Derek Owens where you really set your own schedule or are you thinking of something asynchronous as in no live set meeting times but an actual instructor with set due dates and beginning/end of the course? What exactly are you looking for? Maybe if you mentioned what subjects you are looking for you might get some ideas rolling. 1 Quote
Farrar Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 Right, like there are really two versions of asynchronous courses - the one where it's totally up to you when you do the work and how long it takes and then the one where all the work has a due date, but within that, students can do it whenever they need to because there are no live meetings. 3 Quote
Christine K Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 Some of the classes from CTY and CTD are self-paced. Both organizations have test-in requirements, though. (Because my older ds didn't care for the self-paced class he took, we never went looking for more.) https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/online-honors https://cty.jhu.edu/online/open-ip-courses.html 1 Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 14 hours ago, teachermom2834 said: Self paced like Thinkwell or Derek Owens where you really set your own schedule or are you thinking of something asynchronous as in no live set meeting times but an actual instructor with set due dates and beginning/end of the course? Yes, I'm looking for courses where there are no specific due dates. DS just started Derek Owens' geometry course (online, parent-graded), and I'm wondering what else is out there for other subjects. I don't think he's ready for an online class with assigned due dates yet. 1 Quote
8filltheheart Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 Clover Valley Chemistry and German Online are 2 that we have used. OpenCourseware might be an option. Georgia Public Broadcasting has physics and I think chemistry. Quote
Farrar Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 (edited) So, there are a number of math programs that are totally self-paced like Derek Owens. Beyond that... Thinkwell, definitely - they have a few course options and now they have teacher support for them. To me, there's a dividing line between something like Derek Owens and something like using open courseware or doing a Great Courses with the pdf or something. Or even between DO and something like Conceptual Science Academy or Study(dot)com. They're all self paced... but Derek Owens provides actual grading and feedback that isn't computer based, plus he provides support if a student asks. If a student gets stuck in a purely online course, there's no human to ask. There's only more videos. So for me, that's a super important distinction. Everything else I'm thinking of has due dates. Clover Valley, mentioned above, has due dates unless you do it on your own, in which case, you have to be the support and teacher, which is different from Derek Owens. There are many courses like the teacher led Clover Valley course - courses with synchronous due dates but no live meetings. The UC Scout courses have a start and firm end date, but beyond that, they're self-paced within the course and they do have teacher support and feedback. There are a few other things a bit like that. Edited February 17, 2021 by Farrar 1 Quote
stripe Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 41 minutes ago, JumpyTheFrog said: Yes, I'm looking for courses where there are no specific due dates. DS just started Derek Owens' geometry course (online, parent-graded), and I'm wondering what else is out there for other subjects. I don't think he's ready for an online class with assigned due dates yet. Maybe those things where you buy a textbook with online access for a year. Or things like Coursera. Quote
8filltheheart Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 @Farrar You can take DO's courses completely self-graded. Your student accesses the ideos, works at their own pace, and you grade with the provided solutions. (It costs 1/2 the price.) 2 Quote
Farrar Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 (edited) 38 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said: @Farrar You can take DO's courses completely self-graded. Your student accesses the ideos, works at their own pace, and you grade with the provided solutions. (It costs 1/2 the price.) Ah. I sort of knew that. I guess I assumed the OP was using the graded version as it seems to be more common and is also completely self-paced. If they're using it on their own, then Clover Valley would be similar. But also, so would most curricula or textbooks when you come down to it. Or any MOOC, Great Courses, or computer based course. ETA: Oh, I just saw she said parent-graded. D'oh to my reading skills. So then yeah, any curricula? I'm not sure what makes DO so different from doing, any textbook where you've got the solutions. And nowadays modern textbooks all come with some videos. She should definitely look at Conceptual Science Academy as it's very much set up that way. Edited February 17, 2021 by Farrar Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 Here are two I found. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with either: https://homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/unlimited-access Homeschool Connections Online is Catholic and offers both self-paced and instructor led courses. They have some sort of deal where you get access to all self-paced courses for about $35 per month. The catalog showed hundreds of courses across the spectrum of subjects. https://www.williamsburglearning.com/parent-student-start/ Williamsburg Learning seems to have at least some of their courses offered as a self-paced version. 1 Quote
cintinative Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 44 minutes ago, JumpyTheFrog said: Here are two I found. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with either: https://homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/unlimited-access Homeschool Connections Online is Catholic and offers both self-paced and instructor led courses. They have some sort of deal where you get access to all self-paced courses for about $35 per month. The catalog showed hundreds of courses across the spectrum of subjects. https://www.williamsburglearning.com/parent-student-start/ Williamsburg Learning seems to have at least some of their courses offered as a self-paced version. Did you find pricing for Williamsburg? I have not heard of them and I couldn't find pricing on their website which made me nervous that it is expensive. 😃 I have asked about homeschool connections a bit but never used them. It seems that the quality of the course varies a bit. There are some courses that have really good instructors (I think Anthony Esolen teaches something???). So it might be hit or miss. I really was only looking into it for Spanish and was advised not to pursue it (the self-paced option). If you search for homeschool connections you will probably find some threads. 1 Quote
kristin0713 Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 Unlock Math The course has short video lessons. Students input answers online and they are automatically graded. You can access all of their work, scores, etc. and there are detailed solutions to problems. (I have no experience with Geometry in this program so I can't speak to that.) Experience Biology, Astronomy, and Chemistry coming soon Video lessons with guided notes that the student fills in as they go along. There is a guided lab video and suggestions on how to write a lab report. Online quizzes and tests are automatically graded; there are no grades given for labs. Quote
cintinative Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 (edited) https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/688441-any-homeschool-connections-folks/?tab=comments#comment-8395469 https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/652378-homeschool-connections/?tab=comments#comment-7697552 https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/640155-homeschool-connections-teacherclass-recommendations/?tab=comments#comment-7488730 Edited February 17, 2021 by cintinative 1 Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 Thanks for the links cincinative. 1 Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 38 minutes ago, cintinative said: Did you find pricing for Williamsburg? I have not heard of them and I couldn't find pricing on their website which made me nervous that it is expensive. 😃 I don't think I saw any pricing either. That is not usually a good sign. Quote
Farrar Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 There are a lot of reviews of Williamsburg on some Cali boards. Most people are pleased, but I haven't seen people using a self-paced version and I've seen more middle school families using it than high school. 1 Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 29 minutes ago, Plum said: Is Williamsburg Academy the same thing? That's the one that was linked to a charter school here. Here's their tuition rates and self-paced is on the list. https://www.williamsburgacademy.org/tuition-rates/ Thank you! It lists self-paced courses as $225. Some of the electives look like they might something DS would be interested in. 1 Quote
cintinative Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 I have a question for everyone. Is there a difference between taking something like 3D modeling with Williamsburg versus doing something on Udemy or a provider like that? I guess the difference might be that one is designed for high school students and the other for a broader audience? Also, maybe the Williamsburg might take into account the hours needed for a credit? Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 18, 2021 Author Posted February 18, 2021 14 hours ago, Plum said: Oh wow. I like this. I might have to borrow from it. 11th Grade Language Arts Political Literature. That does look like an interesting class. I had been mulling over making a propaganda class in a year or two. The course above would be nice to do with it. Quote
Lanny Posted February 19, 2021 Posted February 19, 2021 On 2/17/2021 at 11:13 AM, JumpyTheFrog said: Yes, I'm looking for courses where there are no specific due dates. DS just started Derek Owens' geometry course (online, parent-graded), and I'm wondering what else is out there for other subjects. I don't think he's ready for an online class with assigned due dates yet. As you know, there are two (2) kinds of Asychronous courses. They are different and they have their own kinds of pressure and need for Time Management and Self Discipline. My auggestion is that your DS take both kinds of courses. My belief is that the courses that have requirements for specific things to be accomplished by a specfic date are closer to the real world of university courses, which should be your end goal in preparation for higher education. The first MOOC course I took was on the Canvas platform. It was from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and it had specific requirements for assignments and tests. I had not taken any courses for many years and that was a pressure on me, but I remember telling my DW and my DD, "I need to study so I complete my course". I got a 95 as my Final grade, and it did add to stress at times, but it also kept me on track. The other kind of Asychronous courses are those of schools like TTU K12 (formerly TTUISD) which are extremely flexible and the student is on their own to provide their Time Management and Self-Discipline and sink or swim. IMO, many students will not be successful with that format and that probably includes many students who are in a college or university today, not only High School students. 1 Quote
Sarah_hopes Posted February 19, 2021 Posted February 19, 2021 We have some offered through a local public school system - my kids have taken some over the years. For the right kid, they can be great. For the lazy kid, they can be rough and need a lot of oversight! I've had kids power through material pretty quickly - generally things at the public school level are quite a bit easier. Anyway - they are free for us. Do you guys have free classes in your areas? Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted February 19, 2021 Author Posted February 19, 2021 5 hours ago, Lanny said: My belief is that the courses that have requirements for specific things to be accomplished by a specfic date are closer to the real world of university courses, which should be your end goal in preparation for higher education. I agree. However, we're in the process of getting him diagnosed and he needs more time before he's ready for an asynchronous online class with due dates. I think maybe it might be worth trying in 10th or 11th grade, but not until after he is better able to handle a real high school load. 2 Quote
stripe Posted February 22, 2021 Posted February 22, 2021 I am not clear on what type of "self paced" this is, but Blue Tent is listing one of their geometry classes as being "self paced." https://www.bluetentonline.com/product-page/2021-22-geometry-self-paced I don't see anything else of theirs that is self paced. Some of their classes are synchronous (have a weekly meeting) but they seem to be moving towards classes being composed of videos, or videos for the lecture and a live problem session. Silicon Valley High School has all self-paced classes, all in semester format, which just must be completed within one year of enrollment. They are open to adults as well, including those who want to obtain a HS diploma. I don't know anything about them, but I'd be curious to know. Quote
JumpyTheFrog Posted March 2, 2021 Author Posted March 2, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 9:59 AM, stripe said: Silicon Valley High School has all self-paced classes, all in semester format, which just must be completed within one year of enrollment. They are open to adults as well, including those who want to obtain a HS diploma. I don't know anything about them, but I'd be curious to know. These courses are very affordable at $95 each. Has anyone used them? Quote
stripe Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 I ended up watching some videos on Youtube, and the teacher seemed the same in every class. That struck me as strange. 1 Quote
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