e-Learning

Over the past two decades, e-learning, also called digital learning, has expanded significantly in K12 education just like it has in higher education. Currently, more than 75% of all U.S. school districts offer e-learning and over 2.7 million students participate in e-learning on a part-time or full-time basis. 

e-Learning is an approach to teaching that delivers instruction to students outside of traditional classroom settings using special software and the Internet. It offers two main types of course delivery formats, including fully online courses and hybrid/blended courses. Fully online courses are courses that deliver all instruction in the fully online format and hybrid/blended courses are courses that combine traditional, face-to-face instruction with online instruction. Recently, during the 2019 COVID 19 pandemic, a new type of e-learning has emerged, both in K12 and higher education, called "remote learning". Remote learning combines fully online instruction with live class sessions that take place at scheduled times using platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Blackboard Collaborate.

In K12 settings, e-learning primarily consists of online programs, degrees (e.g., high school diploma), or courses that are delivered via virtual schools or online charter schools. Nowadays, students who attend a traditional, brick-and-mortar school also have the option to take hybrid/blended courses starting in middle school and are required to take at least one online class in high school.

Among the reasons why K12 students enroll in e-learning are:

  • Parents' personal philosophy of education
  • Lifestyle needs and flexibility
  • Geographic location, especially in rural areas
  • Access to programs or courses not offered in traditional schools
  • Health-related circumstances
  • Safety issues
  • Previous bullying experiences in traditional school settings
  • Students' participation in competitive sports or the arts

The primary role of e-Learning in K12 education is to make learning more accessible to students whose schedules, lifestyles, or geographical location, prevent them from attending a traditional school campus and to provide options in the types of courses that students can enroll in. e-Learning also enhances student learning through online lecture notes, video clips, discussion boards, and other resources while immersing students in a virtual learning community where they feel "connected" with peers and the instructor.

In school districts across the nation, e-learning is also used to deliver professional development trainings to teachers and staff.

K12 LMS

U.S. school districts use a special type of software called a learning management system (LMS) to deliver e-learning instruction to K12 students. 

A learning management system (LMS) is an online platform that includes synchronous and asynchronous technology tools. Synchronous technologies, such as chatrooms, require students to be online at the same time in real time whereas asynchronous technologies, such as email and discussion boards, do not. The following learning management systems are commonly used in K12 around the country:

A learning management system allows teachers to:

    • Post announcements
    • Send email communications to students
    • Upload or create instructional content
    • Embed multimedia
    • Add links to external websites
    • Facilitate asynchronous discussions 
    • Hold live classes
    • Carry out group activities
    • Create and administer different types of assessments
    • Track students' login history
    • Monitor academic progress
    • Grade work online
    • Post grades

REFERENCES

Drake, S. (2015). e-Learning in K12 education. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/8Ib9IuzK8P4

elearninginfographics.com.(2017). Growth of K12 digital learning infographic. Retrieved from https://elearninginfographics.com/growth-k12-digital-learning-infographic/

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Park Woolf, B. (2017). Transforming learning with new technologies (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

PA Virtual Charter School.(2019). What does a class look like in a K12 online school. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/xqt_w3kt2ec

Schroeder, B. (2019). Disrupting education. The rise of K12 online and the entrepreneurial opportunities. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernhardschroeder/2019/08/14/disrupting-education-the-rise-of-k-12-online-and-the-entrepreneurial-opportunities/?sh=5cffd73e48a2



Information from this post may be used provided credit is given to Dominique Charlotteaux 

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