The biggest caveat about the pandemic-driven shift to online learning is that brick and mortar schools are not well-prepared for virtual teaching. Although many schools use technology in the classroom, few, if any, are equipped with the hardware and software needed to successfully run online classes. Furthermore, teachers at traditional schools aren’t specially trained to use virtual teaching tools or strategies that best aid with engagement online.

CGA was established on Crimson Education’s near-decade of expertise in the digital learning space and is purpose-built to provide an education on par with traditional, physical schools - with the added benefits of personalization unlocked by technology. Our platforms allow us to adapt our delivery methods to reflect students’ individual learning styles and needs.

CGA uses leading education software like Kami and ManageBac as well as proprietary software to provide immersive digital classrooms with interactive, multifunctional online whiteboards and efficient assignment tracking and management tools. These allow students to be more efficient with their note-taking, focusing their in-class time on enriching interactions with their instructors and peers, whilst also providing parents with deeper visibility over their child’s learning and academic progress. Though regular class attendance is mandatory, all CGA lessons are recorded and fully transcribed for future reference by students.

What are the benefits of online schools? On its surface, online schools can offer a whole host of strengths over traditional face to face high schools:

• High achieving students have easy access to accelerated study
• Students that are struggling have nowhere to hide and receive more effective support
• Learning is flexible to students’ schedules and preferences for morning, afternoon, or evening instruction
• Help build independence, technology, and time management skills

Besides these obvious benefits, there is an extensive body of research demonstrating the benefits of an online education. An IBM study found that participants learned five times more material in online learning courses using multimedia content than in traditional face to face courses.

At CGA we intersperse multimedia content and learning materials with frequently administered “mini-tests.” These tests can be informal – like answering a series of questions from the teacher – or formal – like an online quiz or assignment. Research from Harvard showed that the kinds of regular testing and recall demanded by online learning halved student distraction, tripled note-taking, and students’ overall retention of content drastically improved.

This research, among many others, has resulted in a US Department of Education meta-analysis concluding that “students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.” As more research is published on the growing phenomena of online education, we will see more concrete examples where online schools like CGA can provide a better educational experience for students at every age and ability level.