MY STORY

After graduating high school I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as a career. A few years  later I discovered an interest in nursing. At that point I thought to myself that I’m too old and busy to start nursing as I had a full-time job that I was not willing to let go of. Later on I did some research and found out that I needed to take prerequisites for the nursing program that I wanted to apply to as I did not take them in highschool. 

There were a handful of classes I needed to take in order to get into any nursing programs and this was a very stressful situation for me as full-time work and school would be a lot on my plate. As I did more research I came across a platform called Ontario Virtual Secondary School. This platform was offering all the prerequisites I needed to take in order to apply to my nursing programs. This platform was very convenient for me as the courses were asynchronous meaning I could do it on my own time making it very easy for me to balance my work and school schedule. 

I was extremely happy when I discovered this option as it let me pursue my career in nursing which is where I am currently.

MY STORY CONTD

VIRTUAL SCHOOL VS MOOCS

The Ontario virtual secondary school was similar to MOOCS as there was a massive amount of students enrolled in the classes all around Ontario but instead there was a fee for each course that I had to take. 

 According to Lederman (2019), one of the big knocks against MOOCs since their beginning was the low rate at which students completed the courses. I believe that I had a positive experience with virtual learning as I had a set schedule of when to complete my school work. Although I had a positive experience, I see how other students can get demotivated to complete their work as they're no due dates. I believe in order to complete virtual or asynchronous learning you have to be organized and disciplined to complete your courses in an timely and efficient manner.    

PANDEMIC IMPACT

Covid was definitely another reason I decided to opt for virtual schooling, as it provided a safer learning environment while also accommodating my busy schedule. The pandemic brought disruptions to global education, forcing schools and universities to shift remote learning almost overnight. As shown in the graph, the impact was widespread, with school closures affecting billions of students worldwide. 

Many faced challenges such as limited access to technology, reduced interactions with teachers and peers, and difficulties adapting to online learning. Despite these obstacles, virtual schooling became an essential alternative, ensuring that education could continue during such an uncertain time.  

(McCarthy, 2020)