Negosentro.com | Get an Edge on Your Post-Secondary Path with e-Learning | For many of Canada’s highest paying careers, you’ve got to have a university degree to be a serious consideration. Some professions, like doctors and scientists, require a whole ream of post-graduate degrees and certificates, while others will be content with an undergraduate degree. It’s an unavoidable truth that many well-paying careers require you to enter the academy.
For those that do, however, a strong university application is essential. Unfortunately, competition remains fierce; the University of Toronto says that an average of the mid to high 90s is recommended to be a competitive applicant for its Engineering Science program. Rates of university applications remain high and are unlikely to go down significantly any time soon, even with the looming COVID pandemic.
So, getting into university is key! It’s important to take time in high school to look at the post-secondary pathways that you want to explore. A little early preparation and strategy can make a world of difference when you’re crafting your university application.
The Extra Challenges of STEM
This is particularly true in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects, which often require high grades in a variety of secondary courses to be competitive. This can be a problem, as subjects like mathematics and chemistry are often ones that students struggle within traditional learning environments.
This is where e-Learning can come in. e-Learning is a form of education where a teacher presents a course through an online portal, rather than through a traditional classroom environment. Naturally, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s an increasingly popular model!
Harnessing the Power of e-Learning
One of the major strengths of this model of education is that students can advance at their own pace. If they are struggling with a particular concept, they can work at their own pace and get the support they need without risking falling behind.
If a student is blazing ahead, they can expedite their coursework, freeing time up for much-needed extracurricular activities. Ontario Virtual School, for example, offers many classes such as their grade 12 biology course at home, meaning students can earn credits remotely, at a pace that suits their learning style.
STEM courses are a perennial prerequisite for any natural sciences university program, and when students can pursue them flexibly from home, it makes achieving those entrance expectations a reality. Students learn about homeostasis, biochemical processes, and scientific investigation, all skills that they will be using throughout their careers in science.
A good e-Learning institution focuses on providing responsive instructors. Student’s shouldn’t be forced to passively digest content, but should instead be participants in interactive lessons where they can actively develop their knowledge and skills. As high-speed internet access in remote and rural locations increases, e-Learning is going to continue to play a major role in defining how students explore their pathways for university.
With quality instructors and a top-tier learning platform, many students will find collecting their prerequisites for university significantly easier than in a traditional classroom environment.
With a renewed focus on e-Learning in the wake of COVID-19, many parents are realizing that virtual high schools will become part of the new normal in the future. This makes the task of selecting the right school for their children even more important.
