Oregon and Online Learning: “Governor’s Reset Cabinet” Final Report — from Educational Technology and Change Journal
The following excerpt is from page 45 of “Final Report: Governor’s Reset Cabinet” (Oregon, June 2010). The focus of this section is “virtual education”:
Virtual Education
Oregon should create and fully support a statewide public virtual learning system. The use of online or virtual learning has come of age in recent years. Today’s technology makes it possible to provide educational opportunities to remote areas of the country. Florida, for instance, has over ten years of experience with providing a statewide virtual system. In that state’s experience, the highest demand areas are in credit recovery and dual credit classes, where students earn both high school graduation and college credit. The average student is not enrolled full-time in a virtual program, but takes one or two online classes per semester.
A 2008 survey by the Association of Educational Service Agencies indicated that the greatest need for access to virtual instruction is in the areas of secondary math and science. Small and rural districts find it especially difficult to hire all of the highly qualified teachers necessary for these academic areas. The survey also showed a strong demand for online courses that provide college credits that are transferable to all state institutions. Oregon could provide more dual credit classes aligned with the Oregon Transfer Module and the Associates of Arts Oregon Transfer, as well as Career Technical Education classes through community colleges.