Addressing the Top Challenges K-12 Virtual Academies Face

While K-12 online schools have played an integral role in education for niche populations in the past, their impact has continued to grow as improved technologies and explorative school districts embrace how this academic approach can address particular issues. However, this does not mean that K-12 virtual academies are without challenges that educators must intentionally work through in order for learners to benefit most. This is a reality that benefits school districts to address, as the trend is only increasing.

In a Rand Corporation study, 58 out of 288 district administrators—nearly 20 percent—noted their school system had already started an online school, was planning to start one, or was considering doing so as a post-pandemic offering.” The New York Times echoes this, noting school districts see the demand stemming “from parents and children who want to stick with remote learning—some because of student health issues, some because of concerns about bullying or discrimination in their school, and some who just prefer the convenience of learning at home.”

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common obstacles school districts, educators, and students face, as well as how virtual classrooms can make online learning more successful.

Common K-12 virtual academy obstacles

Let’s begin by looking at some of the most common challenges K-12 virtual academies face, before then exploring ways to overcome these circumstances to provide next-level academic opportunities.

Technological barriers

While K-12 virtual academies can offer state-of-the-art educational opportunities to students without being bound by physical location or geographic proximity, there is still the necessity of capable hardware and software, rather than trying to fit a square peg (web conferencing tools for businesses) into a round hole (virtual classrooms).

Lack of physical interaction and socialization opportunities

K-12 online schools can reach learners in far-reaching ways and enhance their experiences while catering to the specific needs of those students. However, this also requires a modified approach to creating socialization and engagement since more traditional methods of student-to-student and student-to-educator interactions can’t occur as organically.

Waning student motivation

The convenience of reaching students through virtual means, whether they remain in their homes or their educators are broadcast in from far-away distances also comes with the risk that those learners may struggle to stay engaged and motivated if proper structure and features aren’t present.

Identifying and addressing additional learning opportunities in real-time

Instructors who have overseen their physical classrooms for years develop a sixth sense for cues that demonstrate a student is struggling or could use a different perspective to comprehend the lesson. This is just as possible—if not more possible—to identify in K-12 online schools; however, the method for identification changes, as does the means by which an educator can address the issue.

The battle of convenience versus structure

An important door that a K-12 virtual academy unlocks is the ability for instructors and students to engage with their learning at their convenience. Unencumbered by physical classrooms or potentially even set class times, educators and learners can move through lessons synchronously and asynchronously. This convenience, however, can come at a cost if there isn’t consistent structure and an intentional balance that allows students to tap into the full ability to embrace the coursework.

Solutions to these obstacles

While these issues are critical to fix in order for learners to truly succeed in a K-12 online school environment, the reality is that new technological advancements and education-specific training have both created a new era for K-12 virtual academies where these barriers can be overcome and student success is achievable.

Overcoming technological barriers

There are three important steps educators can take to collectively address this issue. The first is to start with the right tools. Rather than trying to contort a business solution into an academic setting, seek out a virtual classroom platform created specifically for educational use. Not only will the tools and features be created uniquely for educators’ needs, but the ability to integrate fluidly with other technologies your school district uses is heightened, as well. Second, offer training for both instructors and learners—even family members where applicable, ensuring everyone involved knows how to properly and effectively leverage this technology. And finally, even after training is provided, continue to offer technical support and troubleshooting assistance on an ongoing basis.

Establishing socialization opportunities

When learners gather virtually, they must take a different approach to interacting with fellow classmates and instructors. K-12 virtual academies can encourage this behavior through peer collaboration (including breakout room projects) and leveraging all communicative mediums available (including video, audio, and chat boxes). Additionally, school districts can organize virtual events and extracurricular activities that exist outside of the virtual coursework, itself.

Creating heightened student motivation

There are a variety of ways to increase the level of engagement and motivation for students in a virtual classroom, some of which are just as helpful in traditional classroom environments, as well. Gamification has continued to grow in popularity in education circles and among curriculum developers. Additionally, when school districts make use of best-in-class virtual classroom platforms with the most capable technology and features, instructors can incorporate multimedia content and interactive learning materials—directly in the virtual classroom platform—allowing students to interact in real-time with these offerings without leaving the platform, itself. Finally, it’s also vital to establish clear learning objectives and tie these back to real-life situations that allow learners to see the relevance of the subject matter in their day-to-day lives.

Addressing real-time learning opportunities

As noted above, many instructors are able to sense when students need additional attention or the approach to the coursework needs to be modified in order to “click.” Educators within K-12 virtual academies can do the same and, in fact, with the ability to leverage next-level data analytics, they can gain deeper insights into student progress and potential yellow-flag situations which require more attention. Whether monitoring speaking time trackers to see which learners are communicating the least in a lesson or tallying the number of virtual hands raised, instructors can quantifiably see which students are most engaged and which students may need further prompting. Being able to dive, in real-time, into a quick one-on-one with a student can allow timely and constructive feedback and avoids the potential embarrassment a learner may feel by being singled out in a physical classroom. There are countless ways by which instructors can leverage virtual classroom platform data insights to keep students on track.

Keeping structure in this convenient medium

Instructors don’t have to eliminate the convenience a K-12 online school provides learners in order to ensure academic success. Simple steps, such as providing a well-defined curriculum and schedule upfront, allowing for flexible pacing—and even multiple learning pathways—and offering plenty of support resources around time management and successful goal-setting can all play an important role in allowing students to both benefit from the flexibility of K-12 virtual academies while not risking a lack of educational progress.

Where tech and education combine

While K-12 virtual academies have been around for decades, new technological breakthroughs and education-specific virtual classroom platforms have made this avenue of learning viable for even more student populations than ever before. With small tweaks and modifications to the approach educators take, alongside purposefully leveraging education-specific virtual classroom platforms with the tools and features designed specifically for student success, school districts have a new approach at their disposal to reach more learners and continue increasing academic success.

Are you ready to see how a top-tier virtual classroom platform can transform your school district’s K-12 virtual academy? Reach out to a Class team member today, and let’s take your educational offerings to the next level!