REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY Alum, Olivia Facey

(4.5) Overall Experience

I had a really positive experience taking math through Ontario Virtual School. One of the things I liked most was being able to work at my own pace and complete the course around my schedule. I liked that the course was laid out in a way that was easy to follow. I also liked being able to go back to previous lessons if I needed to review something before an assignment or test. The lessons prepared me for the tests; I never found myself stuck on the tests due to a lack of understanding, and I didn’t feel like I was being tested on things that hadn’t been covered enough. Some topics definitely took more practice than others, but I liked being able to take the time I needed to understand them properly. Overall, I really liked how organized the course was, and I felt like I was able to learn the material well.

Looking Back

What stands out most to me is how organized the course was. I liked always knowing what I needed to complete next and being able to go back and review lessons when I needed to.

Current Perspective

Looking back, I think one of the biggest strengths of OVS is how much independence it gives students while still keeping the course structured and easy to follow.

Your Advice

My advice would be to stay on top of the work and not leave too much until the end. The flexibility is great, but it definitely helps to keep yourself on a schedule.

(5) School Leadership

I didn’t have a lot of direct interaction with the school administration, but I had a positive experience with the support team. They would check in with me by email to see how I was doing in the course, whether I was on track, and if there was anything they could do to help. I liked that they reached out instead of just leaving everything completely up to the student, and it made the course feel more supported even though it was online.

(4.5) Teaching

I had a really good experience with the teaching in my math course. The lessons were organized clearly, and I found the material easy to follow for the most part. If I needed more time with a topic, I could go back and review the lesson again, which was really helpful. I also liked that the assignments and tests were connected to what had been taught in the course, so nothing felt completely unexpected. Since it was online, I obviously didn’t have the same amount of direct interaction with a teacher that I would in a regular classroom, but I still felt supported throughout the course. I was able to work through the material independently while still having help available if I needed it. Overall, I was happy with the quality of the teaching and felt like I understood the math well by the end.

(4.5) Academics

I thought the academic side of OVS was really well organized. The course was laid out in a way that made it easy to know what I needed to complete and what was coming next. Even though the course was online, the math was still challenging, and I definitely had to put time into the harder units to understand them properly. I liked being able to go back to previous lessons when I needed to review something, especially before an assignment or test. The assignments and tests were also connected to what I had learned throughout the course. I never felt like the online format made the course less serious or less academic. Overall, I felt like I learned the material well and that the course was a good way to earn the credit while still being responsible for keeping myself on track.

(N/A) School Life

School life at OVS is obviously different from a regular school because everything is online, so there isn’t really the same social experience or day-to-day interaction with other students. For me, that wasn’t a big issue because I was taking the course mainly for the academics and the flexibility. I liked being able to complete the course while still having my normal schedule outside of school. Even though I was working independently, I didn’t feel completely disconnected from the school. The support team would email me to check how I was doing, whether I was staying on track, and if there was anything they could help me with. I appreciated that because it made the experience feel more supported. I think OVS works really well for students who are comfortable learning independently and managing their own time.

(N/A) Admissions

I found the process of getting started with OVS pretty straightforward, and I didn’t find it stressful. The information I needed was clear, and I was able to get into my course without having a lot of issues. I also liked that there was support available if I had questions. Once I was enrolled, the school continued to communicate with me and check in on how I was doing, so it didn’t feel like the support stopped after registration. Overall, I had a positive experience with the process and found it easy to understand.