REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY student, Sophie Rabbat

(5) Student Experience

I loved completing a course with OVS! There was plenty of structure to the course; however, it was self-paced, so I was able to complete it when I had the time. There is nothing in particular that I would change about the school. The teacher of my course was very helpful, answering emails very promptly and marking work within a short timeframe. There are plenty of resources on the website, allowing each student to succeed. There are many practice tests with answers, as well as daily homework to be completed. I believe this course allows every student to be successful as long as they put in the time and effort. Each test gives you plenty of time to complete and succeed on, as well as the labs.

(5) School Leadership

The teacher of my course continuously assisted me when needed. Whenever I had a question, it was answered very promptly and with great detail. Each assessment was marked within 48 hours, allowing me to complete this course at a very high speed. There’s nothing in particular that I think these teachers should do more of—I think they do a great job with this online course. Each email sent to my teacher was answered very quickly and helpfully. The teacher made the course much more doable.

(5) Teaching

Teaching was very good and supportive. They explained the lessons clearly and made difficult topics easier to understand. Even though it was an online class, the teacher made sure we stayed engaged by using videos, examples, and interactive activities. Whenever I had a question, they responded quickly and helped me feel confident about the subject. The teacher didn’t ask too much or too little—they gave us a fair amount of work that helped us learn without feeling overwhelmed. I usually knew what was expected because they gave clear instructions and useful feedback. The course was successful due to the help and support I had provided to me, and I knew whenever I needed assistance, I would receive a prompt answer. I was able to learn and understand the material, which helped me succeed.

(5) Academics

The academic work in my virtual chemistry course is just right—not too easy and not too hard. The lessons challenge me enough, but they’re not overwhelming. Some concepts are a bit confusing at first, but with time and review, they start to make sense. I believe what I’m learning will definitely be useful later in life because I’m planning to go into nursing. Understanding chemistry is important, and this course is helping me build a strong foundation that I’ll need for nursing school and my future career. Even the harder topics are worth the effort because I know they’ll help me later. I’m glad I took this course because it deepened my previous knowledge, which is crucial to my post-secondary education and career.

(5) School Life

Due to this being a virtual school, I am unable to fully answer this question as I completed everything from home. But if I were asked to give a tour of our virtual school to a group of visitors, I would start by showing them the main online platform or learning dashboard. It’s where we access classes, assignments, and grades. I would take them into one of our live class sessions, like chemistry, to show how teachers interact with students through video, chat, and screen sharing. I’d also show resources like the discussion boards and help centres. These tools make learning easy and supported, even though we’re not in a physical building. Virtual learning works when everything is well-organized and accessible. Our online platform with OVS is very easy to navigate.

(5) Admissions

Signing up for OVS was very simple. It was not stressful, as the only thing to do was sign up with your personal information, then submit proof of your prerequisite course after signing up. There were no acceptances for this online school, as it is a high school-level course. There was nothing specific needed to know for signing up, as it was very simple and easy to follow. This process only took a few minutes, and you can start as soon as your prerequisite proof is approved!