In the early stages of an online program’s development, it is best if the Lead Teacher does not also serve as the Program Coordinator, whose role involves accurately and intelligently responding to inquiries about a student’s short-term and long-term performance. Since this is only possible if teachers record accurate and up-to-date information in their logs, the importance of documentation cannot be overstated.
Step four: Enrollment
Districts may consider purchasing a full-featured student information system (SIS) for virtual enrollments. An SIS allows a district to capture all enrollment data and send eMail confirmations to enrollees with links to online orientations, the course login, and teacher information. An SIS also has reporting features and facilitates the Lead Teacher’s monitoring of teacher performance.
Districts also can choose other database options for their programs. Many databases, including Google Docs or private wikis, cost little to no money. Additionally, virtual initiatives might be able to use a district’s existing SIS, although these programs may not be configured to the needs of online enrollments. Regardless of the system used, online education program planners must ensure development of an enrollment application, consider enlisting a guidance counselor or principal’s approval, and disseminate information about the enrollment software to individual schools in the district.
District-level leaders will need to make decisions regarding pricing and possible sources of funding for the summer program. A tuition model should include a credit card or PayPal option to ease the financial burden for parents. Guidance counselors also can act as Onsite Facilitators (OFs) to enroll students and collect applicable fees at in-person enrollment sessions.
Step five: Location
Districts can make school computer labs available for student use during the summer program with Lab Facilitators (LFs) to support online students. Many parents prefer the structured, supported environment of a lab setting and will happily transport students to the schools where labs are offered. If attendance in the labs is mandatory, the district may need to provide transportation, which will add costs to the overall program.
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