When schools close, students don’t have to stop learning. In recent years, eLearning has made huge advancements that make it more accessible, personalized, and engaging than traditional learning. Plus, with digital reporting tools built into the program, teachers can instantly see how students are progressing. However, before choosing or implementing a new eLearning program, first, follow these three key steps:

1. Prepare teachers with professional development

Although eLearning often involves students working individually at home, teachers are still vital to the process. Teachers are involved in monitoring students’ progress, reacting when they struggle with particular concepts, and adjusting their learning path as necessary. Teachers should also plan to communicate regularly with their students’ parents. To properly prepare teachers for these new responsibilities, put a professional development plan in place. This professional development doesn’t need to take place in person. Just as students are able to learn through digital methods, so can teachers. As part of the professional development, teachers should learn:

• What does the curriculum look like?
• How is the curriculum personalized for each student? 
• How can teachers monitor their students and navigate the available reports?
• Which alerts indicate that students need additional help and what should be done that happens?
• How can teachers adjust what students work on?

2. Get parents on board

Because eLearning typically happens at home, parents need to be involved and on board with the program. To do so, schools should send home information to the parents in advance. This communication should include:

• Why the school is choosing to implement eLearning
• What this program will look like for students and what technology is needed
• How students access the program
• Any expectations on how frequently students should use the program or how much progress they should make
• How often the teacher will send reports or communicate with parents on their child’s progress
• Supporting research and proven effectiveness of the program or of eLearning in general
• How to contact the teacher or school with additional questions, concerns, or issues

3. Keep students accountable

Get students excited and invested in eLearning! Show off the program’s engaging features, such as:

• Digital rewards to keep them motivated
• Variety of content to prevent boredom
• Personalization of the curriculum
• Student choice to encourage personal responsibility

If possible, introduce students to the program and help them log in for the first time in the classroom. If not, consider holding a livestream or creating a video tutorial. Students should also understand how often they’re expected to use the curriculum or how much progress they’re expected to make, and who they can contact if they get stuck or have any questions.

How does Wowzers Learning fit in?

Wowzers Learning is the perfect fit for eLearning. With its complete K-8 math curriculum, extensive professional development program, experience working with schools around the world that are using eLearning, focus on student engagement, and built-in reports and tools for teachers, it makes the move to eLearning easy. Wowzers doesn’t require access to a VPN, which makes it available worldwide. Recently, international schools in China are using Wowzers while students work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have experience working with both virtual schools and traditional schools that are looking to put eLearning to more widespread use.

For more information on how Wowzers works, and what makes it a great choice for eLearning, check out the video below or sign-up to get started: