A staggering 1.5 billion students had their schooling impacted by the coronavirus crisis in 2020 alone.
Nine out of every 10 school-going children had their classroom lessons interrupted, and COVID-19 is still impacting schooling across South Africa.
Because of this potential for disruption, EduExcellence expanded to offer CAPS online learning in early 2020, founding what would become South Africa’s first recognised online school: EduExcellence Satellites.
Since then, many online schools have surfaced, offering varying types of digital learning. A growing number of brick-and-mortar schools now have the capability to pivot to online classes when necessary.
So, what should you look for in an online school? What characteristics define trustworthy, effective online schooling programmes? This article investigates:
1. They’re backed by brick and mortar
The online education market is booming, as more and more educational institutions realise the potential of virtual education. The best online schools are backed by actual schools with established processes and an experienced staff compliment.
There’s a physical school that you can visit, and you’re able to interact with principals and teachers directly. This is especially important when it comes to remedial education, and will ensure that you aren't taken in by a fly-by-night scenario.
EduExcellence Lynnwood and EduExcellence Noordhoek are our two physical campuses in Pretoria and Cape Town respectively. Like at our campuses, EduExcellence Satellites offers the CAPS syllabus.
2. Their teaching experience spans years
All teachers are new teachers at some point, but teaching (especially online) really is a field where experience can make or break the impact of each lesson.
For this reason, try looking for an e-school that has teachers who have years of experience teaching both in-person and online.
EduExcellence Satellites was founded in early 2020, which means we have already successfully completed a full year of online learning (and we’re about to complete our second). Get to know EduExcellence here.
3. They offer the possibility of hybrid
As mentioned in our first point, the best online schools are backed by experienced physical schools.
The only constant in life is change, so choose to send your child to an online school that gives you the option of a hybrid model. In other words, you can choose to shift to online schooling or back to in-class lessons as your lifestyle evolves.
Due to the uncertainty around South Africa’s third wave of coronavirus infections, all students from our EduExcellence campuses started 3rd term 2021 online (with the intention of returning to in-class lessons once it was possible).
4. There are live classes with activities
Online education isn’t as straight-forward as most of us think. There are many ways students can receive an education virtually, with varying levels of interpersonal interaction.
Some online schools will provide learning packs and require students to watch pre-recorded lesson videos. Others do this, while arranging weekly virtual meetings with teachers or lecturers.
EduExcellence Satellites operates similarly to a traditional school, where online learners attend scheduled, daily live classes attended by other classmates (limited to 12 students per class).
5. They have a solid ICT framework
Distance learning, like online schooling, requires a certain level of responsibility on the student’s part. It’s up to the student to do their work and hand it in (often unsupervised), but it is the online school’s responsibility to ensure that these processes are as seamless as possible.
There should be easy-to-use platforms for completing and submitting assignments.
We use the power of Microsoft Teams and other information communication technologies at EduExcellence Satellites, and we’re always finding ways to improve our processes for the benefit of our e-students.
Enroll for Online School with EduExcellence Satellites
Choosing the best online school for your child doesn’t have to be tough. The main thing is to ensure that they have the right equipment, the right environment, and the right attitude. If you are looking for an online school in South Africa that offers the government CAPS syllabus, We welcome you to connect with EduExcellence Satellites Principal, Yolande Ribberink.