By Megan Riordan
Staff Writer
The implementation of more online courses at Costa would benefit both teachers and students, creating class openings that would not have been available otherwise and simplifying the fulfillment of graduation requirements.
Currently at Costa, online classes are taken solely for remediation purposes. This means the classes are to be taken only to replace a failed grade, rather than to complete a requirement. Students can take classes that are offered through National University to fulfill these credits, according to Costa guidance counselor Jennifer Woodie.
Online courses would relieve the stress of school immensely by eliminating an extra hour from a student’s day. Students who are committed to multiple extracurriculars often have to take a summer course in order to fit their extracurricular activities into their school schedules. An online class without daily time restraints would make it easier for busy students to manage their workload and still meet all graduation requirements.
Online courses would serve as an opportunity for students with zero periods to develop healthier sleeping schedules. The Center for Advancing Health states that only eight percent of teenagers get the required 10 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation has been associated with disrupting hormones, which is linked to issues such as colon cancer and obesity. Offering online courses would allow flexibility for students with extremely busy schedules and leave more time for sleep for those who need it at certain times.
The process of allowing more classes to be taken online would begin with allowing fact-based classes to be taken online. Math courses, such as geometry, would be examples of these classes. The online component of math would also benefit students who learn the subject at varying paces. Costa should start with allowing math online classes, then expand to some other subjects.
The addition of online courses would increase the amount of available classes for students. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, many students found their desired classes full. Students such as Eliza Feinberg were unable to take the AP courses they desired due to commitment to certain courses which were only offered specific periods. These students are often unable to take select AP courses because of their lack of availability. In addition, many students participate in courses with locked periods in which the courses are only offered at one or two periods during the day, increasing scheduling conflicts. If required courses were offered online at National University, students with busy schedules or locked class periods would be able to arrange their schedules more easily.
Making an online health course an option for Costa students not only would give students the ability to have a free summer, but also would allow students who wish to take extracurricular courses to have an easier time fitting these desired classes into their schedules.
Vice Principal Jaime Mancilla stated that there is current work being done to create an online health class through Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation. Although the creation of the course is currently in its early stages, they plan to have the course ready by summer. The semester health requirement at Costa is something many students struggle to fit into their four-year schedule, and with an online health course, students would be able to meet their health requirement in proper time without having to take a summer course.
Some believe that Costa should not give credit for online classes, and instead students should take them simply for the sake of learning. While this is a noble idea, a year-long academic course takes dozens of hours, and students should be rewarded.
If more classes were to be available for credit toward graduation, it would be easier for students to take the extracurricular courses they desire and easily fulfill their important academic requirements.
Leave a Reply