Leadership

School Leader Insights: The Interplay Between Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

The School Leader Insights blog series provides school leaders with practical guidance and advice on how to develop and support digital learning programs within their schools and districts. Based on research and on-the-ground experiences working with school leaders, Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute aims to identify and share effective practices with these school leaders to support their work and encourage their success. In this blog post, we discuss the importance of understanding the relationship between curriculum, instruction, and assessment in designing digital learning experiences that align with the underlying purposes for why a digital learning initiative is pursued in the first place.

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute September 9, 2021

Meeting Discussion Talking Sharing Ideas Concept

Leadership

School Leader Insights: Institutionalizing a Vision for Digital Learning

The School Leader Insights blog series provides school leaders with practical guidance and advice on how to develop and support digital learning programs within their schools and districts. Based on research and on-the-ground experiences working with school leaders, Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute aims to identify and share effective practices with these school leaders to support their work and encourage their success. In this blog post, we discuss the process of developing a shared vision among school and district stakeholders and the process by which school leaders may institutionalize the vision for continued growth and sustainability.

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute September 7, 2021

Smiling student leaning against bookshelves holding book at the university

Online Learning

Michigan Virtual Research on Online Learning in Higher Education

Research at the higher education level is well established and can provide valuable insights into online learning overall. It is important, however, to consider the unique needs of K-12 online learners as compared to adults when determining which research findings to apply.

Kristen DeBruler September 3, 2021

Research

Making Learning Student-Centered: Providing Voice and Choice

We know that not all students learn in the same way. Why is it then that in the traditional model of education, we expect students to learn along the same pathway at the same time?

Christa Green September 3, 2021

Online Learning

Michigan Virtual Research on K-12 Online Teacher Preparation, Professional Development, & On-Site Mentoring

Teachers play a critical role in instruction regardless of if the instruction is face-to-face, fully online, or somewhere in between. Training for working effectively with remote students is critical now more than ever and should, at the very least in a small way, be part of traditional teacher preparation programs.

Kristen DeBruler September 3, 2021

Research

Competency-based education in mathematics

What is competency-based education? Competency-based education (CBE) is a student-centered methodology of instruction that incorporates elements of constructivist philosophy, 21st century skills education, and flexible

Nikolas McGehee August 24, 2021

Research

Why are schools making learning student-centered?

While the more traditional teacher-centered model of education does work for some students, it does not work for all.

Christa Green July 22, 2021

Research

4 differences between traditional teaching methods and competency-based education

What is competency-based education, and why are so many schools making the switch? Competency-Based Education (CBE) is a student-centered method that allows students to work

Nikolas McGehee July 7, 2021

Research

My child is taking a competency-based course. What should I expect?

What is CBE, and what makes it different from how things used to be? Competency-based education (CBE) is an approach to teaching and learning that

Nikolas McGehee May 28, 2021

Research

Research on Blended Learning, Teaching, & Professional Development

In 2020, we published a 10 report series summarizing the findings of all of the research we’ve conducted to date. Nearly 100 resources were included

Kristen DeBruler May 25, 2021

Research on Michigan’s K-12 Online Learning Demographics, Effectiveness, Evaluation, Quality, & Policy

In 2020, we published a 10 report series summarizing the findings of all of the research we’ve conducted to date. Nearly 100 resources were included

Kristen DeBruler May 14, 2021

Research

Competency-Based Education and the Classroom Challenges

What is Competency-Based Education? Competency-Based Education (or CBE) is a system-wide school model in which students work towards attaining mastery of specific core competencies or

Nikolas McGehee April 15, 2021

Research

The Case for Coaching and Tutoring

In the almost 40 years since Ronald Reagan’s A Nation at Risk report and subsequent education reforms, many programs have been developed to help students

Nikolas McGehee April 14, 2021

Research

Eight Years of Research on K-12 Special Populations and Motivation

Over the past eight years, Michigan Virtual has paid particular attention to online special populations and subsequently online student motivation. Our research team has focused on topics such as online credit recovery, supporting online students with disabilities, and the role of motivation in online courses.

Kristen DeBruler March 16, 2021

Research

Research on K-12 Online Best Practices

One of the first themes to clearly distinguish itself during the analysis of the reports published by Michigan Virtual was best practices in K-12 online learning. Over the last several years, our research team has explored factors for online student success such enrollment reason, student pacing, teacher-student communication, and instructor role.

Kristen DeBruler March 8, 2021

two children learning online in front of a computer

Online Learning

District Plans for Shifting to Remote Instruction in Spring 2020

Should we go fully digital, use paper copies, or use a hybrid model? How will we assess the technology needs of our students? Should we arrange for meal pick up, delivery, or some combination? How will we manage and monitor student learning? How will we continue to meet the social-emotional needs of our students? These are just some of the questions that school leaders faced as they developed their plans for continued learning after school doors were shuttered for the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute August 27, 2020

Research

Research study: Do orientation modules contribute to student success in the online classroom?

Learning online can be an adjustment for many students. It is widely believed that providing students with an orientation to online learning helps them better

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute May 19, 2020

Research

March and April Research Round Up

What’s new in the world of K-12 research on online, blended, and innovative learning? This month, we take a look at Michigan’s K-12 Virtual Learning Effectiveness Report and a recent edition of the Online Learning Journal.

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute May 19, 2020

Mentoring

What Does Research Say About Mentoring Online Students?

There exists an ever growing body of research on mentoring online students. In this article we seek to answer the question: What does this research tell us about mentoring K-12 online students?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute March 27, 2020

computers connecting people through digital communication

Online Learning

Communication & Engagement in the Online Classroom

Most teachers would agree that communication and engagement are key factors for student success in any classroom. In the online classroom, however, these variables play out a little differently than they might in a face-to-face setting. In this article, we break down what communication looks like in an online course, who is responsible for student engagement, and, finally, how communication and engagement interact in practice.

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute March 9, 2020

BRIGHT: Stories of Hope & Innovation in Michigan Classrooms

Research

Innovation

BRIGHT: Stories of Hope & Innovation in Michigan Classrooms

BRIGHT: Stories of Hope & Innovation in Michigan Classrooms

Category: Research

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