Online learning offers many benefits, but often, students (and their families!) get nervous at the prospective of leaving behind the traditional school experience. That’s where part-time enrollment can offer you the best of both worlds!
Say you’re interested in enrolling with Ontario Virtual School, but not quite ready to enroll as a full-time student. That’s a-OK! Students taking only one or two classes with OVS make up more than 80% of OVS’s student population! These part-time students remain active with their traditional school for the majority of their classes.
In this blog, we break down a few of the many benefits you can enjoy by enrolling with OVS in addition to your regular day school!
#1: Test the Waters – Minus the Stress
Starting a new school can be stressful. Fortunately, with the option of part-time enrollment – this ceases to be a problem! Enroll in a course (or two!) with Ontario Virtual School while still taking classes at your regular day school. This way, you can benefit from the online learning experience, without having to leave behind the traditional school experience you’ve grown accustomed to.
Of course, if you change your mind down the line and want to enroll full-time – that’s an option too! Book a guidance appointment or contact our office to find out more.
#2: Take Courses Not Offered By Your Local School
What happens when the course you really want to take isn’t available at your regular day school? Rather than filling your timetable with a course you’re not passionate about, why not browse OVS’s vast course catalogue!
Thanks to our completely asynchronous model, OVS is able to offer more than 130 courses year-round. We also don’t have minimum class sizes. This means we can offer our part-time (and full-time) students more options to help them control their own education.
Whether it’s a new post-secondary pathway, new skills, or a required course for your chosen career path – OVS has something for everyone, with new courses developed every quarter!
#3: Use Part-Time Courses to Fast-Track Your Studies
Students who take a course with OVS have two options: they can either take a spare at their day school*, OR they can maintain a full timetable at their day school and take a course through OVS as an additional credit. This means students would be taking more than a full course load.
Now, we know this may sound daunting. But remember: OVS offers you full flexibility over when you attend lessons and when you submit assignments. In this way, students are free to work through added credits in their spare time, including evenings, weekends, and holiday breaks.
For students who choose this path, the goal of graduating ahead of schedule is often readily attainable! Alternatively, fast-track students may use the added time in senior years to pursue co-ops or internships, or other extracurricular interests.
*Note: Typically, students are not allowed to have spares in Grades 9 and 10. Instead, they often have to take a full timetable by reaching ahead to upper-year credits. While day school permission is not required to take courses part-time with OVS, it is always a good idea to open a dialogue with your guidance counsellor before registering so they can advise on appropriate timetable changes.
At Ontario Virtual School, we take pride in offering maximum flexibility to our students, both in the delivery of their courses and in their selection! Whether you take just one course or thirty, we encourage you to see for yourself the benefits asynchronous e-learning has to offer!