REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY student, Ali Alsayadi

(5) Student Experience

I loved being a student with Ontario Virtual School. The school was perfect in terms of pacing, teaching, marking, and more. Their website is very easy to use and ensures the user is familiar with all available resources through a fabulous orientation. I wish I had known just how many helpful resources were available in OVS. There are plenty of ways to receive help, whether it's through the teacher, the counsellors, tech support, or many more. OVS ensures that all work, such as tests or assignments, is marked within 48 hours! This has helped me immensely as I was provided feedback almost immediately and was able to continue learning at my desired pace and not feel rushed at all. Furthermore, the freedom to learn at my own pace helped me retain information much better than in regular day school.

(5) School Leadership

I have nothing but high respect for the leaders, teachers, counsellors, and others at the school. Their ability to provide feedback and help while also providing marks in a timely manner is unmatched. I really liked having the ability to contact my teacher and other help services at any time in order to learn from my mistakes, clear up any confusion, or even ask any questions! Overall, I am very satisfied with my experience at OVS and really grateful for the help I have received from the school leaders.

(5) Teaching

I don't think that the teachers at Ontario Virtual School ask for too much, nor do they ask for too little. In my course (MHF4U), the material was so well put together and ensured the student learned all the material, however, without overloading the student. Firstly, the tests that were required were extremely fair and related exactly to the lessons. Moreover, there were several optional assignments for students who wanted to push themselves even further, but they were not made to be required in order not to ask too much from the students. I knew exactly what my teacher was expecting of me, as it is clearly highlighted at the start of every test. I was able to do exceptionally well in my course due to the fact that I was aware of what my teacher was looking for, as she had communicated that in the feedback section after every test/assignment. For example, in my first couple of tests, I had made a couple of mistakes regarding communication. My teacher gave me feedback, and I was able to learn from it and apply it to my next assessments in order to do better.

(5) Academics

I do not believe the work is too easy, nor is it too hard. I have taken MHF4U through my day school prior to taking it through Ontario Virtual School, and the material is relatively similar, however, with much better pacing and room for learning. In my day school, my teacher would not explain the material thoroughly, he would not post notes through Google Classroom or any other platform, and it was overall not a good experience, as missing even a single day of school due to sickness meant being much behind. However, this is not the case at ALL through OVS. The flow of material is controlled by the student, and still teaches the student everything they need to know from that course. This is very important, especially in my case, where my course was a prerequisite for my university program. Therefore, being able to understand the information fully and use it in my future is very important, and OVS made that possible.

(5) Extracurriculars

I personally take part in sports extracurriculars, specifically soccer. Soccer is an outdoor sport, so I don’t see a need to have a club for it at OVS. I believe they offer a great selection of academic courses that can help many students in various ways. I also believe there is a perfect amount of work for each student to complete in order to properly learn the material.

(5) Students

Ontario Virtual School is a virtual school that enables students from all around the world to take courses without having to be in the province of Ontario. I believe this is a great and inclusive system, as it allows those with extenuating circumstances to study and be included in the Ontario education system without needing to be physically present. I feel that the students who do best at school are those who do not procrastinate, ask questions when they are confused, and practice until they reach mastery, even when they don’t feel like it. Students who procrastinate, don’t ask questions, or get distracted easily may have a harder time focusing and succeeding, as those habits can lead them to fall behind and become confused.

(5) School Life

Ontario Virtual School is fully virtual, so I could not take them to any physical room or something of that sort. However, if I had to give a tour of the OVS website, I’d start with the student portal. Since it’s an online school, that portal is basically the whole school in one place. That’s where you see all your courses, lessons, due dates, and even where you message your teachers. I’d show that first because it sets the tone. clean layout, easy to use, and straight to the point. Everything you need is right there, and it makes the whole experience way less stressful. I think once people see how organized and flexible it is, they’ll get why OVS actually works so well for students.

(5) Community

There’s no physical building, no classmates around you, or daily interaction like in a regular school. But I will say OVS still makes the experience feel smooth and supportive. The teachers respond quickly, and you’re not left hanging. It’s clear they want students to succeed, even if it’s all online. I think they do a good job making sure everyone feels included by offering the same flexibility and access to help when needed. I believe everyone feels appreciated because this school is open to students from all around the world. Furthermore, the fact that I’m able to work from anywhere, without having to be physically present, makes the experience feel much more like home, especially since I’m usually doing my work at home.

(5) School Location

As mentioned, Ontario Virtual School is fully virtual, which means there is no physical campus. I usually do my work from home; however, sometimes I’ll study at a library or coffee shop if I need a change of environment. That’s one of the best parts about OVS: you’re not stuck in one place. You can take your learning wherever it works best for you.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process at Ontario Virtual School was very straightforward and efficient. All I had to do was visit the website, choose the course I wanted, and complete the registration by adding it to my cart and checking out. It felt more like enrolling in a program than applying in the traditional sense. For some courses, you need to have the proper prerequisite completed, which they clearly mention on the course page. In conclusion, the process was not stressful at all.