Here are the top 10 reasons students choose online summer credit recovery:
#1 Flexibility — Students can still enjoy the summer with friends and hold a job, all while recovering the credits they need.
Taken over the summer, face-to-face classes can pose logistical challenges for students who need to recover credits by interfering with their ability to keep a part-time job, go on the family trip, or even hang out with friends.
One of the benefits of online courses is that they are typically asynchronous, meaning students and teachers work online at different times of the day. That means that students can still enjoy their normal day-to-day activities while making time to complete their credit recovery class at their own pace.
#2 Portability — Students can work anywhere with an internet connection.
With online summer courses, students can work anywhere they have an internet connection. Vacationing in Florida? They can take an Algebra quiz from their hotel room. At their family’s cottage? Students can break their learning into manageable chunks to get ahead on a couple of assignments or email teachers to ask a question. The portable nature of online courses makes it an ideal option for summer learning.
#3 Expediency — Taking a summer course helps students graduate on time
If you have students who failed courses required for graduation this year, online learning can provide them with a second chance at success. Taking an online course over the summer can keep students on pace to graduate with their classmates.
#4 Value — Online summer courses can be more cost-effective than face-to-face alternatives
Online summer programs can help schools stay on budget while still providing students with a wide array of summer learning options.
While we do recommend that schools provide a local mentor and optional lab space for students to come work during the summer, online courses can still be more cost-effective than face-to-face models when all costs are accounted for.
#5 Immediacy — Guess what? There’s no commute!
Many students agree — It’s pretty wonderful to be able to complete classes from your living room while hanging out in your pajamas! There’s no getting up early (unless you want to!) and no drive to campus to complete your coursework.
#6 Accessibility — Students have all their materials at their fingertips.
We’ve all been there. You go to class, get an assignment, and then when you get home, you forget what the teacher said to do! With online courses, students have all the notes, lessons, and materials right at their fingertips to review whenever they need them.
#7 Comparability — With a highly qualified instructor present, online courses are comparable to having a 1:1 experience between student and teacher
For students who need more one-on-one support in order to succeed, online learning can be a great option. Because the course content is available for students to access 24/7, instructors are able to focus on providing student’s individualized feedback, making their learning experience completely personalized. Students work at their own pace and receive feedback on areas relevant to their individual areas of growth.
#8 Formative — Students will practice their self-discipline skills.
To be successful in online courses, students need to complete their online lessons and assignments by the end of the semester while balancing any other responsibilities they might have. Success in this format requires self-discipline and time management skills. By taking online courses, students can practice the independent learning skills they need to excel in college or the workplace.
#9 Immersive — Students will improve their technical skills.
Do your students know how to communicate professionally with classmates or teachers? Do they know how to create documents or presentations that can express your skills and knowledge? Online classes help students with these practical workplace skills and many more that will benefit them several times over as they progress through schooling and into the workplace.
#10 Engaging — By keeping students’ minds active over the summer, online courses help prevent summer brain drain!
On average, it is predicted that students lose about one month’s worth of learning over the summer. In math and reading, these predictions are even more drastic, with an estimated two months of learning loss in some studies.
In addition to helping students get ahead and meet their scheduling needs, enrolling in online summer courses can help them keep their minds active, so as to mitigate the effects of the dreaded summer brain drain. Not only will they learn new content over the summer, but they may also come back to school having forgotten less of last year’s content than their peers.
The caveat: Not all online courses are created equal.
Offering your students online credit recovery courses over the summer is a great way to provide them with flexible paths to graduation. That being said, we also find it important to clarify that not all online courses are created equal.
Online learners need to be supported in order to succeed.
That’s why we work so hard to hire only highly qualified, Michigan-certified instructors to teach our online courses.
That’s why we encourage schools who partner with us during the summer to open up lab space for students to work if they need additional support from a trained mentor.
That’s why we allow our credit recovery students to move past content they have already mastered and focus their attention and energy on concepts they are actively struggling with.
The moral of the story
Before you select an online learning provider, make sure your students are getting a high-quality and supportive learning experience. Your credit recovery students will thank you for it later when they’re strutting across a stage wearing their cap and gown.
