REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY student, Joud Shawa

(4) Student Experience

Ontario Virtual School offers a lot of flexibility, which is perfect if you’re already in a day school or just have a busy schedule or prefer learning at your own pace. I like it, it gives me the freedom to study when I’m most focused. However, one thing I wish I knew before starting was how little structure there actually is. If you’re not self-disciplined, it’s easy to fall behind. I’d change that by adding weekly check-ins or suggested timelines to help keep students on track I personally fell behind a few times but was able to pick myself up since there were no specific due dates. The courses themselves are great and easy to follow, but the lack of real interaction with teachers can make it feel a bit isolating, although I understand that eLearning is supposed to be that way. In my case the lack of interaction with teachers benefited me since i am a little anxious and i prefer working on my own. Overall, it’s great if you’re independent and motivated, but it could really benefit from more structure.

(5) School Leadership

Unfortunately i havent gotten to know all the teachers and school leaders since i was taking a single online course, however in my experience with Ontario Virtual School teachers I find them really helpful and sweet, the school leaders also emailed me my report cards on time and sent me emails to follow up on submitting them to universities. The teachers send emails occasionally to make sure it's all going well and even sometimes inform my day school in case I needed extra help or just a check-in with my guidance counsellor. It was really helpful and nice.

(4.5) Teaching

At Ontario Virtual School, I don’t think the teachers ask too much if anything, sometimes it feels like they don’t ask enough. The workload is manageable, but it also means you need to take more responsibility for your own learning whicu I honestly think is great since many students require discipline to get things done. Most expectations are clear, especially through the assignment instructions and rubrics, but without real-time feedback or face-to-face discussions, it can be hard to know if you’re truly on the right track, although teachers do submit feedback within a day or two which is honestly pretty good considering its online content. When teachers talk about success, it usually seems to mean getting good grades and completing the course. It feels more academic-focused than personal growth or deep understanding. I think they imagine success as being able to work independently and finish everything on your own

(5) Academics

The Advanced Functions course at Ontario Virtual School was pretty decent. The work felt just right, not too easy but not super hard either. Most of the lessons made sense and if I did the practice questions, I could get through it. It did get confusing at times but nothing too crazy. I think it’ll be useful later on, especially since im getting into economics, math is an essential skill for that major. Even if others arent getting into math related subjects its still an essential thing to learn and the way it helps with problem solving and thinking stuff through is helpful. Doing it online made me figure out how to manage my time better too, since there’s no one really checking in. It’s a bit lonely sometimes but overall it was alright.

(3.5) School Life

Since Ontario Virtual School is online and I’ve only taken one course (Advanced Functions), I’d probably start by showing them the main course dashboard. That’s basically where everything happens—it’s the first thing you see, and it gives you access to lessons, assignments, and tests. I’d show them how the lessons are laid out, where to find practice problems, and how to upload assignments. I’d also explain how the self-paced system works, since that’s a big part of what makes OVS different. It’s not a physical tour, but understanding how to navigate the site is super important especially if youre just starting and youre in grade 12. That’s what I wish someone had walked me through when I started it would’ve made things way less confusing in the beginning

(5) Admissions

The admissions process for Ontario Virtual School was pretty straightforward, but since I’ve only taken one course, I don’t have a ton to compare it to. I remember the application being simple just filling out some personal details and choosing the course I wanted to take. The hardest part was waiting for approval, which felt a little slow, but overall, it wasn’t stressful. For someone planning on applying, I’d recommend making sure you know exactly what course you want to take and be ready to work independently. I didn’t really understand how self-paced it was at first, so it was a little overwhelming once I got started. If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve prepared myself more for managing my time and staying motivated on my own