Academics at UVA!

Although UVA is an online school and students are able to learn outside of a traditional classroom setting, UVA is still a school. Learning online requires a level of commitment and discipline that is different from a traditional brick and mortar school.  Yes, our students get to enjoy the freedom of dressing the way they want to dress and learning at a time of day that works best for them, but they still have to get up and do their school work.  

Traditional classroom students go to a school building and are told what their schedules are,  where to go at a particular time, where to sit, etc.    In contrast, a UVA student will be expected to work with the Learning Coach to define a daily routine because routines prevent online students from falling off pace and getting behind.  These routines should be defined before lessons begin so there is time to discuss wake up schedules, meal times, and expectations for lesson attendance and completion.  

You see, UVA's teachers are not going to tell our students what time they should complete their math assignments or when to read a novel for class.  Online teachers are unable to tap a student on the shoulder to say, "Do your work" like they can do in a traditional classroom.  They don't watch their students on the computer all day long.  Does that make sense?  The structure must be established in the learning environment by the Learning Coach (with input from older students) and with an expectation that the structure will be adhered to. Having no structure will make it too easy for the student to not engage in school.

Students will have a daily and weekly calendar that identifies what needs to be completed each day.  Teachers will remind their students about deadlines for major projects, etc.  And students will be given defined times to join classmates online for their teachers' live instructional sessions, but students will not be given a specific time to complete each of their daily assignments (e.g., a history lesson about ancient Greece,  a science lesson to learn about the anatomy of a plant, or for our youngest students -- a lesson on counting by 2's ).  Instead, our UVA students must be disciplined enough (or have that discipline imposed by the structure mentioned previously) to complete their assignments every day so they will stay on track and learn what is expected for their courses.

We encourage our students to attend their teachers' live sessions live (i.e., when they are scheduled) rather than watching recorded sessions. When students are in the online classroom with the teacher, they can ask questions if they're comfortable doing so.  Students will also benefit from the answers that other students receive when they ask questions.  In addition, students who attend live sessions have an opportunity to get to know their classmates and can work with them in the online classroom whenever the teacher plans small group activities for the instructional session.  

If a student only watches recorded sessions, they will miss out on the opportunities described above.  They will learn but it will feel like they are in school alone, which won't be as rewarding.  Yet, the option to watch (or rewatch) the teacher's instructional session is there whenever students need it.  Just keep in mind that most students do better at UVA when they attend live sessions with their teachers.  (And they have more fun as well.)

Our elementary, middle, and high school principals prepared the following table to set expectations about the amount of time students will need to complete their daily assignments -- including attending (or watching) the teachers' live instructional sessions.  Please review the table and use this information to plan the student's school day when the course schedule is provided at the beginning of the semester.  You have enough information now to develop a basic schedule for the school day (e.g., the morning routine before lessons begin, etc.).  Quite often, Live Sessions are held during the morning hours but some sessions are in the afternoon as well.  

Students should discuss the schedule with the Learning Coach to ensure they are organized and have the support they need to adhere to the schedule. When lessons begin, students are strongly encouraged to follow the daily routine that you establish. Make adjustments if the plan is not working, but do not abandon having a routine.  Students should commit to themselves that they will do their very best to complete their daily assignments each day so they have the best opportunity to succeed.

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Learning Coaches, you are responsible for working with the student to establish or review (for older students) the student's daily routine.  You will learn more about this in the onboarding course section entitled "Phase III -- Detailed Learning Coach Training."