The world of Upper Arlington High School has become one step more digital. At the Board of Education meeting on Jan. 14, UAHS administrators introduced a new graduation requirement for the Class of 2029. This requirement is to complete at least one online course, according to the UA Schools website. In addition, there were also a number of online courses introduced to the program of studies.
This new graduation requirement will become official at a Board of Education meeting later this spring. Board of Education member Nidhi Satiani explained that in order for a policy to be passed it is required to go through multiple stages.
“The way policies, required by the state, are passed is we have to have what are called two-reads. So, we bring forward the new policy that we’re considering, share it with the public. It gets posted publicly in our agenda, and that’s the first read, and then we have to have a second read, so we can’t approve a policy on that first day,” Satiani said.
Although the new graduation requirement is not official yet, it likely will be.
“I am not authorized to speak on behalf of the board. Only our president is allowed to do that. But this one seemed like something that all five of us were pretty supportive of,” Satiani said.
Some people argue that teenagers are constantly engrossed in technology, and it is not necessary for students to take an online class because students are already so experienced with technology. Satiani argued that it is still important to take an online class.
“It’s just kind of generally a way that education is going, right? A lot of college classes that you take will, if you go to college, will be online, and so making sure that you have had some experience with that, and not that you guys didn’t have that with COVID, but, you know, making sure that you have that experience in a supportive way that you’ll have teachers who are assigned to you who are really willing to support you through that,” Satiani said.
In addition to Satiani, some students also feel it is very important to take an online course.
“A lot of colleges are moving to online classes, and it does show that you’re able to work on your own and motivate yourself, even when there’s not a teacher always on your case and forcing you to keep going,” junior Mani Vutha said.
Regardless of whether students go to college, many believe it’s important to have the skill of asynchronous learning. Asynchronous learning is when a student learns on their own through means such as online modules where they work at their own pace. It can have advantages because students can take their time to do their work and learn at the ideal pace. It also can be risky, because it requires a lot of discipline from students to complete their work.
“Asynchronous online learning is something that’s going to be a part of your future, whether or not you go to college. If you go into a trades position or if you go into anything else that requires any kind of online training, you’ll be doing online modules. You’ll have to learn to be able to learn in that way,” Satiani said.
Students spend lots of time on digital devices and the internet already, but Vutha stated that navigating the online classroom is not a necessary skill.
“When it comes to online classes, the struggle isn’t really that they’re online, it’s mostly just that they’re asynchronous. I feel like using your phone and stuff doesn’t actually really correlate that well, that much, so it is important to take an asynchronous class,” Vutha said.
Everybody has their own views, so it is important to provide input and share perspectives. The goal of the Board of Education is to prepare students for their future and do what is best for the students, so providing input can help show them whether students believe this will be helpful.
“We’re definitely always looking for student input, and I know Mr. Theado tries to have a lot of student input in that process. You can email, you can show up at the board meetings. This is why there is a first and second read,” Satiani said.
