REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY student, Liya Getachew

(4.5) Student Experience

I loved the Ontario Virtual School system. I thought the user interface was super easy to navigate and had clear, straightforward instructions on how to use each function. This was especially helpful when doing online school, as it lessens the stress of possible technical issues that might arise from a complicated user interface. I wish I had known before that the teacher who marks your work is not the same as the teacher who goes over the lessons and shows examples in the lecture recordings. This did not affect my experience, but it would have been nice to know ahead of time. As well, it would be nice if the practice quizzes had detailed answers that would show up if you got the question wrong.

The Best Part

As someone who took a mathematics course through OVS, the best part was the simplicity of the testing structure. The tests can be finished within 1.25 hours, but OVS does give quite a bit of extra time for those who require it.

Suggested Improvements

Proofreading the practice questions would be beneficial. For the most part, they are written concisely; however, occasionally, there will be a slight error in word problems that, while not completely inhibiting the student's ability to complete the question, could lead to confusion. For instance, one question stated, "Patricia said to Kate that the derivative of every cubic function is a linear function. Is Sophie correct?"...Who is Sophie? Not a horrendous mistake, but could be easily fixed upon review.

Hidden Details

New students may be surprised by the quickness of the response from teachers, etc. The Ontario Virtual School gives you a year to complete the course, but you can complete it in as much or as little time as you need. Even for those who progress quickly, the teacher marks efficiently and quickly, so you can receive important marks asap.

(5) School Leadership

(5) Teaching

The teachers do not ask too much from the students. They provide a good amount of practice work needed to understand concepts well. If further help is required, they are always available on work days and are quick to respond. The guidelines for success are clearly outlined in the teacher's course expectations, so students are fully aware of the steps they need to take to succeed. The lessons themselves are paced well, and the teacher often will go through multiple example questions to help illustrate concepts. The tests and assignments are exactly like the coursework, so students should not be concerned about "surprises" on evaluations. The marks are defined into categories (Knowledge, Thinking, Communication, and Application), so students are aware of what skills they may lack and which ones they succeed in.

(4.5) Academics

(4.5) School Life

(5) Admissions

The admission process to join Ontario Virtual School was straightforward. All that was required was to purchase the course on their website. Once the course was purchased, the next step was to provide proof that you had the proper prerequisites for the course, which should be easily accessible by checking your report card. It will take about a day for the prerequisite to be checked by your teacher, but once it is completed, you can start the course. If you have already completed courses with Ontario Virtual School (and did well in those courses), you will be given the chance to get a coupon that can go towards paying for your next courses.