The Effect of Virtual Schools on Education

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The fast development of modern technology could not pass by the area of education, one of the most important social institutions of today. The phenomenon of the wide and comprehensive introduction of computerized technology in the process of education is known as virtual schooling. The development of the latter is rather notable as “some 40,000 to 50,000 students in 37 states are enrolled in virtual schools, according to the US Department of Education” (Paulson, 2004). Virtual schooling is a rather broad term that encompasses several varieties of computerized education: “The term can refer to anything from the occasional specialized class taken online by a traditional high school student to all-day charter schools” (Paulson, 2004). Drawing from this, the influence of virtual schooling on the educational curricula is rather substantial, and this paper focuses on the interrelation of computerized technology introduction and curriculum transformations in educational establishments.

Initially, the issue of computerization seemed to be perceived positively by the whole society as the use of modern technology was, according to Brandl (2002), about to enhance the performance of students in schools and provide them with greater career prospects as the result of more substantial knowledge and skills acquired through computer software programs. Later, in the middle of the 2000s, the opinions divided, and, as Paulson (2004) argues, the supporters and opponents of computerization and virtual schools started expressing their views on the issue.

Nevertheless, the educational system gradually becomes more and more computerized, and schools resort to two major ways of developing the software to use in their particular curricula. These ways include the internal development of the software by the school professionals for use in this particular school only and the cooperation with external software developers.

The former way is rather beneficial for schools, but it also has certain drawbacks connected mostly with the lack of funding needed for software development directly in schools:

The University of Nebraska’s Independent Study High School developed one of the best-known proprietary systems for use in developing its CLASS project courses, but this software is now “on the shelf” as part of an end-of-grant agreement with Class.com. Both Class.com and Nebraska ISHS are now developing new courses on different platforms (Clark, 2001, p. 8).

The example of the University of Nebraska’s Independent Study High School illustrates the typical situation in the modern virtual schools’ development under the conditions of lacking funding. Because of this, schools usually resort to the help of “web development software companies such as Macromedia” that provide “the tools used by virtual schools to self-develop courses” (Clark, 2001, p. iii). The overall introduction of modern computerized technology results in the modifications and transformations of the curricula in schools and universities.

Curriculum Transformation

The major transformations of the curricula connected with the introduction of new hardware and software into the study process relate to the enhanced opportunities that both students and teachers obtain with computerization (Dede, 2000, p. 2). Thomas (2000) and Dede (2000) single out the number of the main effects that computer technologies have on the curriculum. Among them, the scholars attribute primary importance to the centering and involving processes.

The former includes the focus of the students “on ‘authentic’ problems parallel to those adults face in a real-world setting” (Dede, 2000, p. 2), which becomes possible due to the access to the Internet and the opportunity that the latter gives to have updated news. The second transformation, i. e. involving, allows the students to access the online “virtual communities-of-practice, using advanced tools similar to those in today’s high-tech workplaces” (Dede, 2000, p. 2). Thus, computerized technology allows students to obtain more professional and updated information in any area of study, and makes them familiar with their potential working conditions from the early study years.

Among other curriculum transformations such ones can be mentioned as the focus on the sophisticated skills the students should acquire to firstly handle the software they are given, and then to be familiar with the software at the workplace. Thomas (2000) also argues about visualization as the powerful tool of filling in the gap that students experience between the theories they are taught and the practical experience they might get at work.

Finally, Thomas (2000) and Dede (2000) speak of the opportunity that computer technology and Internet access give to simulate the working experience conferences and even the conditions of work to prepare the students better for the future applications of their experience and skills (Thomas, 2000, p. 12; Dede, 2000, pp. 2 – 4). The following paragraphs present a more detailed account of curricula transformations brought by the software and hardware implementation in class with special attention to the curriculum of mathematics teaching.

In more detail, the transformations in curricula of the computerized or virtual schools touched two major areas. They include the very implementation of the new software and hardware in the process of study and the introduction of special classes that the students have to take to be aware of the basics of handling the innovative technologies. Considering the former type of curriculum transformations, there are several particular software packages developed either by schools or by software providers that enhance students’ capabilities in the process of study and widen the scope of the skills the students have after the courses.

Among such software packages, SimCalc and GenScope are considered to be prominent by Clark (2000), Dede (2000), and Richardson (2008). The former, SimCalc, is the system enabling students to develop their skills in handling visual images: “The SimCalc curriculum builds on students’ own intuitive experiences with speed and motion by employing a technology through which graphical representations on a computer control physical devices” (Dede, 2000, p. 8). The use of such software in the study is rather beneficial, especially for students studying management and marketing, as SimCalc develops the skills of managing assets and liabilities and facilitates the development of the leadership skills of the person.

At the same time, GenScope is the software used mainly with the young kids to provide them with the initial knowledge of software operation and working principles: “GenScope gives students the ability to create dynamic models for manipulating several dragon species characteristics, such as horns, wings, legs, color, sex, and the ability to breath fire” (Dede, 2000, p. 9). Although seemingly insufficient for professional education, GenScope can put the basis for the further development of computer skills in younger students. Therefore, the hardware and software introduced to common schools or virtual ones changes the curriculum of both and require specific skills the students should master.

The very issue of computer skills has become vital with the overall development of computer technology and its comprehensive expansion in all spheres of social life. Education is not an exception and students of all levels should possess or learn computer skills to succeed in study and further work:

Today, starting in elementary school, students use e-mail, word processing, computer simulations, virtual communities, and PowerPoint software. In the process, they are absorbing more than the content of what appears on their screens. They are learning new ways to think about what it means to know and understand (Turkle, 2004, p. 27).

Thus, it can be seen the software and hardware implementation is not paying homage to the trends of today in respect of the modernity of education. Computerized, either online-only or partially, learning is the way to change the way students perceive information, process it, and use it in their further work.

Moreover, students with disabilities benefit from the computerization considerably as “existing computers can now be modified for use as an AAC device through the addition of special communication software and hardware” (Dede, 2000, p. 9). These modifications are far less costly than traditional ACC devices, but their efficiency is considerably higher as Dede (2000) and Turkle (2004) argue.

One of the examples of the school whose curriculum and the whole operation process changed after the computerization is the Christa McAuliffe Academy (CMA) in Washington State. The process of computerization of the school started in 1993 when the first online services were offered: “CMA started 16 years ago with individualized mastery learning content delivered via independent study, using computers and CD-ROM for supplemental computer-assisted instruction” (Clark, 2001, p. 19). All the services and curricular activities offered by the school are currently available both online and on a regular attending basis.

The software the CMA operates is rather complex and, as Clark (2001), to find the providers the school needed a lot of time that was spent in developing its software packages that are currently in use. One of them is First Class Program implemented by CMA in 2000: “The program uses FirstClass software by Centrinity, a dial-up client-server application, for e-mail, chat and other communications, and posts course content on the Web” (Clark, 2001, p. 17 – 18). Needless to say, being first of all an educational establishment, the CMA cannot afford to take all time to develop software.

Thus, according to Clark (2001), the school resorts to the help of external software providers including NovaNET, Plato, and Childs. The school benefits greatly from computerization as its student base is extended and funding increases annually. Clark (2001) reports that every online student brings about $4,500 per month in the form of tuition, and this allows CMA to update its online systems. Online and virtual schooling proves to be effective and beneficial for both students and schools, and CMS illustrates this fact.

Needless to say, the views on virtual learning are different. There are supporters and opponents of this educational technique, but the research works by Paulson (2004), Clark (2001), Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000) prove that there is more use than harm in virtual and computerized education. Thus, Paulson (2004) argues that virtual learning “opens new horizons, particularly for students in rural communities where choices are limited, or for those with special needs due to illness or serious involvement with athletics” (Paulson, 2004). People from remote rural areas can access the educational databases of the best schools and universities around the world instead of being limited to their local, not always high quality, education.

The opposing views also have a rationale in them, as Paulson (2004) and Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000) argue: “Critics worry about the lack of face-to-face interaction. Even more contentious, particularly with all-day virtual schools, is the difficulty of providing good oversight, and the question of giving state money to an outside district or charter school” (Paulson, 2004). These concerns are understandable as numerous criminal organizations might act on behalf of the virtual school to receive the state money.

However, the positive effects of virtual schooling outweigh the negatives if compared to the traditional curricula: “One recent study funded by the Education Policy Studies Laboratory found that the K12 curriculum was frequently age-inappropriate, and was more focused on memorizing than developing concepts” (Paulson, 2004). At the same time, online schools offer courses for all levels of education including elementary, middle, and high school courses, as well as online diplomas in the most demanded professions like marketing, management, and law. The issue of curriculum equity is treated with the proper diligence to eliminate any gap if such exists between the traditional and virtual schools (Clark, 2001, pp. 24 – 25). The example of the mathematics curriculum can illustrate the benefits of online learning in more detail.

Mathematics is a rather complicated science that demands precision of calculations and clarity of thoughts from any student. Therefore, any instrument to increase both should be eagerly accepted. So, it is not surprising that computer technology and virtual schooling have been widely adopted in mathematics teaching. Mathematical curricula are greatly affected and transformed by computerization that influences both the ways students can access the necessary information and the tool they use to deal with mathematics tasks (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).

However, the formerly practiced mathematics curriculum was far less demanding for students, but offered a more limited range of knowledge as well:

Not so long ago, simple merchant mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) sufficed for almost everyone, but in today’s society, people increasingly are called on to use mathematical skills to reason about uncertainty, change, trends in data, and spatial relations (Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M., 2000, p. 87).

Therefore, the new demands set new challenges for mathematics curricula, and new tools to deal with those challenges are invented (Richardson, 2008). Virtual schooling and computerization offer a wide range of techniques, hardware, and software solutions for the transformation of the mathematical curricula in schools and universities.

Thus, as Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000) argue, the major transformation of the curriculum in mathematics study connected with computerization was the attempt to trace the students reasoning path from seeing the task for the first time till making respective conclusions. To achieve this, the so-called Geometry Tutor has been used numerous times in various virtual and common schools around the United States to present rather positive results according to which “students – especially average or lower achievers or students with low self-confidence in mathematics – could learn geometry much faster with such help (Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M., 2000, p. 82). Thus, another piece of evidence to prove the positive impact of computerization on students’ performance can be observed.

Dede (2000) argues about another transformation of the curriculum that involves the introduction of the already mentioned SimCalc software that aims at changing the ways students approach mathematical tasks and consider them. The operation of the software allows students to establish relations between the qualitative and quantitative variables of any task, and thus approach the tasks in another, easier way (Dede, 2000, p. 7). At the same time, Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000) consider the alternative software, titled Logo, for use in middle school to introduce the students to such complicated processes demanding mathematical knowledge as highway traffic patterns without the actual study of mathematics at this level. Overall, the transformations of the mathematical curriculum include various other courses and projects that are used to vary the classroom activities and develop students’ abilities in both mathematics and software handling. Thus, Dede (2000) considers the use of the so-called Classroom Tool for Mathematical Investigations Using Digital Video (CamMotion) as the project that demands students to make videos regarding their mathematical topics and present them for consideration for the whole class. Hasselbring and Glaser (2000) speak about the Kids Interactive Design Studio project that helps develop students’ programming abilities and visualize their mathematical considerations.

At the same time, the participation of schools in the Epistemology and Learning group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, as argues by Dede (2000), facilitates students’ thinking development and provides for the more varied set of thinking and reasoning techniques they can operate with dealing with their mathematical tasks. Finally, Dede (2000) and Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000) argue about two nationwide networks that allow students from various regions of the United States communicate, share experience, and advice each other of mathematical studies issues. These networks are MOOSE Crossing, the program allowing students to share experience and collaborate on curriculum activities, and the Virtual High School, the network offering students’ collaboration options and access to the best Internet-based mathematical sources.

The outcomes of the above transformations of the mathematical curricula can be various, but the majority of researchers including Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000), Paulson (2004), and Hasselbring and Glaser (2000) agree that computerization influences the curricula development positively as the results of the students from computerized or virtual schools prove to be more successful and increasing than the results of common schools’ pupils: “Based on the research to date, the strongest evidence showing positive gains in learning tends to focus on applications [of hardware and software] in science and mathematics for upper elementary, middle, and high school students” (Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M., 2000, p. 78). Thus, among the whole variety of subjects of study, the effect of computer programs on the mathematical study is reported to be the best.

The explanation for this fact is the proven thesis that reasoning operations result in better performance than repetitive skill practice applied in traditional schools: “More specifically, computer-based applications that encouraged students to reason deeply about mathematics increased learning, whereas applications that attempted to make repetitive skill practice more entertaining for students seemed to decrease performance” (Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000), p. 78). Thus, current research proves that computerization and the introduction of innovative hardware and software in curricula on the whole and mathematical study affects the performance of students positively and facilitates their success in studying mathematics.

Summing the above said up, it is obvious that the phenomenon of the wide and comprehensive introduction of computerized technology in the process of education is known as virtual schooling. Currently, it is acquiring greater importance for education as computer technologies are involved in any sphere of human activity, work, and rest. The scholarly research proves that computerization and the development of virtual schooling affect the performance of students, especially in mathematics, rather positively increasing their performance results if compared to the students of traditional schools. Thus, we can conclude that, according to scholars, virtual schooling is a positive phenomenon but further research is needed to investigate the phenomenon in more detail.

References

Brandl, K. (2002). The Integration of Internet-Based Reading Materials into the Foreign Language Curriculum: From Teacher- to Student-Centered Approaches. Language Learning and Technology, 6(3), 87 – 107.
Clark, T. (2000). Virtual high schools: state of the states. Macomb, IL: Center for the Application of Information Technologies, Western Illinois University.
Clark, T. (2001). Virtual Schools: Trends and Issues. Distance Learning Resource Network, 10(1), 1 – 36.
Dede, C. (2000). Emerging Influences of Information Technology on School Curriculum. Information Technologies at School, 71(4), 1 – 20.
Hasselbring, T. S. and Glaser, C. H. W. (2000). Use of Computer Technology to Help Students with Special Needs. Children and Computer Technology, 10(2), 102 – 122.
Paulson, A. (2004). Virtual schools, real concerns.
Richardson, W. (2008). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Corwin Press; 2nd edition.
Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., and Means, B. M. (2000). Changing How and What Children Learn in School with Computer-Based Technologies. Children and Computer Technology, 10(2), 76 – 101.
Terril, T. B. (2006). Technology on a Shoestring: A survival guide for educators and other professionals. Teachers College Press.
Thomas, W. R. (2000). Web courses for high school students: potential and issues. Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 441 398.
Turkle, S. (2004). How Computers Change the Way We Think. The Chronicle Review, 50(21), 26 – 31.
U.S. Department of Education. (2000). E-learning: putting a world class education at the fingertips of all children. Washington, DC: USDE.

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The Effect of Virtual Schools on Education

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