This is arguably the most challenging school year on record for both students and teachers, and Dr. Kimberlee Gill, academic dean at Summit Christian Academy, describes the development of their eCampus this year as a “herculean effort.”
She says it all came about as the result of the “innovative disruption” the pandemic has brought to education. While online learning was growing in popularity before March, the pandemic has forced schools across the country to bolster their online offerings.
“I think education has a shift in momentum like nothing I have ever seen,” Dr. Gill says. “Teachers and students alike are seeing benefits to online learning.”
While all grades at Summit Christian Academy have been meeting fully in-person this school year for students who have chosen that option, the school is also offering the eCampus for those who desire or need to stay home. The school is adhering to standard mask and social distancing policies in-person, and there are many changes to the fine arts offerings and events to promote distancing and safety.
The school has a total enrollment of approximately 850 students, and about 70 to 130 of those students are learning online. The school has given families the option to toggle back and forth between online and in-person learning, so online enrollment numbers fluctuate. Families have also been given the option to choose a hybrid model of learning, which involves learning in-person three days a week and learning from home two days a week.
Dr. Gill believes teachers are the unsung heroes of the pandemic as they have had to re-envision how they teach. After all, the school only offered a few online classes before March, and now they have an entire K-12 eCampus.
To develop their online options, Dr. Gill said they studied and learned during the spring semester and did focus groups to see what went well and what they could improve. Among other efforts, the school hired additional staff and purchased cameras and Chromebooks. Sarah Coats, director of development, says the online options reflect the school’s commitment to bolster individualized learning and provide options so each student can be a successful learner.
As an eCampus teacher, most of what Anna Kale does is communicate with families and teachers and coordinate coursework and instruction.
“I’ve served classes of kids as a teacher for the last few years, so knowing everything it takes to be a successful educator, it brings me joy that I am able to serve other teachers,” Kale says.
Dr. Gill says she is finding herself rethinking what attendance means for students, and she is understanding the profile of a student who learns well online and the profile of a student who learns best in-person.
Kale says families enjoy the flexibility online learning gives students, and they have found the most successful online learners are typically those who are involved in various interests outside of school.
Even if learning takes place online, personal connection and interaction are still essential, Dr. Gill says.
“It must be humanized,” Dr. Gill says. “We cannot have students staring at computers for hours and hours without engagement.”
To this end, Kale says they are working to find ways to best incorporate online learners into the classroom.
While online learning options at SCA were developed to meet needs during the pandemic, they will continue to play an important role in education for years to come.