Serving the iGeneration with Online Learning

Periodically, I welcome a guest to join me on my blog. Dr. Caprice Young, President and CEO, KC Distance Learning, has authored the following article on online learning.

We recently conducted a national survey of 500 students, aged 13-17, about their attitudes toward school and learning. Born in the mid 1990s, they are the “iGeneration,” a whole new breed of students who have never known a world without the Internet and on-demand access to content, just like Generation X never knew a world without a TV or telephone.

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Not so surprisingly, these students told us that classroom boredom (42 percent) and distractions from other classmates (46%) are the top challenges they face daily at school. Ninety percent revealed that while technology tools are available to them in the classroom, they are limited to basic functions like online research, PowerPoint or Excel.  

The iGeneration has grown up in a world of customization and immediate feedback, which is why we need to re-wire our educational approach of stand-and-deliver learning and engage these students. Ninety percent in our survey said that if they were in charge of their school, they would offer more electives and online classes and be able to choose the time of the day they go to school.

The message from today’s students is clear. It’s time for individualized education on demand.

This year, more than 1 million middle and high school students in the U.S. are enrolled in online classes, and the use of online learning tools, whether inside or outside of the classroom, is inevitable and growing. More and more traditional brick-and-mortar schools are offering blended learning programs that combine classroom instruction or lab work with online curriculum.

Some schools have started, for example, a math lab, where their teacher serves as the proctor and 30 kids are in the lab, each taking the math class that is appropriate for their level. One student is taking pre-algebra, another trigonometry, and all of them can really focus on individualized learning. At the same time, online learners get the attention and immediate feedback they need by communicating in real-time with their teachers through IM, chat, email phone calls and real one-on-one support.

Online learning now is becoming more mainstream.  It continues to serve students who simply cannot participate in their local school programs for a variety of reasons.  Many live in rural areas and cannot reasonably travel great lengths to get to school, other students are home taking care of sick parents or siblings, and some are teenagers who have professional careers as athletes or actors. 

However, as Generation X teachers become decision makers in schools, they want to employ the technology they used in college to give their students an edge. We work in 1,800 organizations nationwide led by these innovative educators to provide online learning through public, private and charter schools. We are finding that online learning students consistently have higher average SAT and ACT scores than traditional, non-online learning schools.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of an education improvement movement and a generational shift that cannot be stopped.  The iGeneration is challenging the current system and we need to listen. Personally, I’m looking forward to really serving this next generation well.

About Dr. Caprice Young
Dr. Caprice Young is the President and CEO of KC Distance Learning, Inc. and was formerly Vice President of Business Development and Alliances of Knowledge Universe®. Dr Young is at the forefront of the online learning movement and a true “education innovator” who is helping to drive access to flexible, high quality education for students of all levels and needs, as well as improving student and school achievement. In her current role, Dr. Young oversees the three lines of business of KC Distance Learning, Inc., including the Aventa Learning^TM brand, the iQ Academy® brand and the Keystone Schools brand, enriching the lives of more than 260,000 students through high quality online education programs.