By Alex Gross ’24
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy’s new all-online asynchronous classes are the next step towards successful learning in this new age of COVID-19. Though school during the lockdown is something that we hope to never experience again, there are some positive takeaways that we can use to improve classes in the future.
Many productive aspects of hybrid and online learning have been implemented in the asynchronous classes at Brophy, offering many educational benefits to distance learners.
While most students prefer to have social interaction and teacher guidance during class, online courses cater to the more autonomous individuals who like to work on their own time and are responsible enough to learn by themselves. These classes provide an opportunity for students to take classes they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, and unlike previous online or hybrid courses, they are optional.
Certain courses are taught better online than others, as a coding class is more suited to asynchronous instruction than a physical education class. By offering online classes, we can create more diversity in course offerings on and off campus.
Higher education is also moving towards online learning, as nearly one out of every three college students take online courses. Taking these classes in high school can start preparing students for an environment they will likely experience in college.
Brophy students are enjoying the new asynchronous option, as it allows them more freedom and can decrease stress.
“The feedback that I’ve gotten from my students so far has been positive, and I’m trying to make sure I keep an open channel of communication so that I can help a student before too much time goes by,” said Ms. Catherine Wyman, the new fully-online computer science teacher here at Brophy.
These classes aren’t for everyone, and there’s definitely an adjustment to be made when switching to asynchronous learning.
This is only the beginning of online classes, and as more and more high schools and colleges start to implement asynchronous learning, students will have to adjust to a new school environment. Asynchronous learning is not only an answer to COVID-19’s lockdowns but also to issues such as teacher shortages or state laws requiring courses.
Brophy, like other schools across the country, would greatly benefit from the option of more online classes and as a growing number of students begin to adapt to asynchronous learning, these types of classes will become a principal source of education.
