Students at Blue Valley Northwest attend classes every day, traveling from classroom to classroom and navigating the crowded hallways. However, the Coronavirus-induced quarantine led to the implementation of an optional online or “hybrid” schedule for students.

As of now, there are 23 classes that can be taken virtually at Northwest, all of which are listed in the High School Programming Guide. Online classes can offer many opportunities for students, however they are incredibly dependent on the students’ ability to manage their time and learning.

Emily Natanova, a senior at BVNW, has taken a variety of online classes throughout the course of her schooling, including AP Biology, American Government and Psychology.

“It’s much more flexible than an in-person class. It allows you to learn the content without having to go to school and sit in a classroom,” Natanova said. 

Junior Anjali Watson said she has been taking online classes since middle school, because she appreciates the self paced structure of online classes.

“It’s nice to be able to learn at my own pace,” Watson said.  “I’m a fast learner, so it was nice to be able to just knock out all the coursework and not have to sit there and listen to a teacher lecture for a whole semester.” 

Beth Ricke, a counselor at BVNW, helps students get enrolled in online classes they wish to take. She said she has found that a lot of students enjoy being able to move and learn at their own pace. 

“I’ve found that kids feel like [online classes] give them more flexibility within their schedule,” Ricke said. “Some kids like working at their own pace or working independently and teaching themselves the material versus doing it here in the classroom.” 

Taking online courses gives students more freedom and control over their education, because they lack the carefully planned agendas in-person classes often follow. Most of Natanova’s online classes shared a similar structure, so she said she did not have to re-adjust her organization system too much depending on the class.

“There weren’t any Zooms. They had the assignments up on Canvas for you and you had to turn them in by a certain date. It was very self paced,” Natanova said.

Watson said this format mirrored her current online course,  AP U.S. History.

“We have one or two assignments per week, and we have [from] Sunday to Sunday to do [them],” Watson said. 

These courses are also more accessible, especially when students enroll in summer or eighth hour courses. Natanova said their accessibility was one of the reasons she decided to take an online course. 

“I didn’t have a car at the time and I wasn’t able to drive over to the school, but I still wanted to be educated and, especially during the summer, take classes and get credits out of the way,” Natanova said. “That’s mainly why I took an online class, it was more accessible than an in person classroom.” 

In addition, online courses can deter students from over stressing about missing class and playing catch up. Since online classes are self paced and accessible, there is no need to worry about making up work for a missed class; instead, students can easily catch up on work according to their own schedule.

Another beneficial factor of online classes is their allowance for more space and time to explore elective classes they find interesting.

“I’m taking online classes, so I can have more classes that actually interest me in terms of, potentially, my future and my career,”  Watson said. “It’s a nice way to free up your schedule and get those required classes knocked out.” 

For example, a class like Health and Wellness has often been taken online so students can free up a slot on their schedules; in fact, Watson encouraged students to take the course online.

“Something like [Health and Wellness] I would one thousand percent recommend taking online,” Watson said. “Then you have a semester free, and it’s a pretty easy online class.” 

On the other side of the same coin, there are certain skill sets that a student should possess in order to increase their chances of success in an online class. 

One of these skills is time management, which goes hand in hand with the ability to stay organized. When taking an online course, it is important for students to keep track of due dates, test dates and assignments. While it can be hard at first, it is possible for students to find a system that works for them, much like Watson did.

“I think it was definitely a struggle at first, to find good time management, but now that I’ve gotten it down it’s fine,” Watson said. 

Natanova and Ricke both suggested keeping a planner or setting a schedule for yourself

“I would recommend setting a schedule for yourself and say that, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday I’m going to work on my online classes from this time to this time,” Ricke said.  “Students have to be prepared to independently learn the information and come up with a plan to avoid procrastination. It’s easy to just put it on the back burner.”

Natanova explained the importance behind having an efficient system when you have a hybrid or online schedule. She said it can become increasingly hard to keep track of everything that needs to be done without some form of organization

“It’s harder to manage your time and stay focused like you would in an in-person class,” Natanova said.“You have to be productive and be the type of person who’s good with managing your time and organizing your schedule.” 

It’s also important for students to consider which classes would be easy to take online. In some instances, a more rigorous course, such as an AP course, would be harder to manage online, especially for students who plan on taking the AP exam. For more challenging courses, it can be beneficial for students to have a teacher to talk through content with.

Oftentimes in an online class, students won’t interact with teachers on a face-to-face basis, meaning that students will have to work through the content by themselves. Although most online course teachers are very efficient in replying to students, it is still an adjustment for many. Ricke says communication is a key factor of succeeding in online classes.

“Don’t hesitate to communicate with the teacher, because they are there to help. Make sure you’re communicating if you’re finding yourself struggling or falling behind,” Ricke said.

While it can feel bothersome or intimidating to reach out for help, it is important to master communication, especially for a virtual course. Ricke said that if students aren’t mindful of the workload, it can become incredibly overwhelming. 

“Online classes require a great deal of self discipline. You tell yourself, ‘I’m going to work on it for two days and get caught up,’ then those two days come and go and you’re running out of time,” Ricke said. 

Online classes offer a multitude of benefits, such as a significantly less stressful environment, a more flexible schedule and a self-paced curriculum. However, these advantages are null if students are unable to maintain their communication, organization and time management. such as the loss of direct communication with teachers, the need for time management and organization, as well as developing effective communication and study skills. 

“An online class is more accessible wherever you are, but if you’re not good with managing your time, everything can kind of catch up to you,” Natanova said.