The Nebraska Virtual Partnership made a progress report to the Legislature’s Education Committee last week. The verdict: online courses are in demand. And the partnership is capable of meeting it.
The Nebraska Virtual Partnership was created this year to expand educational opportunities for high school students throughout Nebraska. The partnership is a collaborative effort by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High School, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications.
The interim study presented Oct. 3 gauged what each member of the partnership is doing to expand course offerings and educational opportunities across the state.
Brian Halstead, assistant commissioner of education, said the committee’s efforts in creating a virtual high school, with legislation going back as far as 2006, is working well.
A pilot program launched by UNL in August was created to gauge the demand for distance education in Nebraska. The pilot program offered 50 free course enrollments through the Independent Study high school, with preference to first-time applicants, rural students and applications for science, technological, engineering and math courses.
Barbara Shousha, director of Independent Study, said 74 applications were received as of Sept. 2, when admissions closed.
For the rest of the article, go to Virtual high school online proposal off to good start
