In spite of the rapid growth of learning through the technological world, students still often prefer to learn in classroom environments. Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is an online service that provides students the opportunity to take certain courses virtually. In contrast to learning at a teacher’s pace, taking a course on FLVS focuses on learning at whatever speed you are comfortable with. This can become an issue if students are not meeting their deadlines – or if they simply need extra help with their learning, which FLVS can not really provide.

A typical classroom’s learning environment tends to push students to get their work done efficiently. As a teacher is discussing material and assisting students with any inquiries, students are motivated to learn effectively. In the FLVS environment, a student’s only motivator is his or herself. According to USA Today’s research, about 78% of more than 1,000 students surveyed still believe that it is easier to learn in a classroom.

Some students, however, prefer to learn at their own pace, rather than at a teacher’s. Students can design their own pace with FLVS and decided whether to finish their course in one month or six. This is beneficial for students who learn at an advanced pace and would rather complete a course in a few months than a whole academic year. This also works in favor of those students who learn at a slower pace than the regular classroom teacher usually teaches, and allows them to spend extra time on a certain part of the subject if necessary.

“One of the few benefits FLVS provides is that it gives you enough time to get the work done while shortening the time spent working,” sophomore Michael Moreno said.

Learning at your own pace, however, serves no purpose if there is no teacher physically present to explain anything you may not understand. With FLVS, students have to teach themselves the material, make their own notes, and are expected to be able to   perform well on their assessments at the end of each lesson’s module.

“Because there is no teacher-student contact, it is not easy to learn like you would in a classroom. There is a much bigger responsibility in teaching yourself,” junior Joshua Zambrano said.

Although FLVS serves its benefits for students who prefer to learn at their own pace, nothing compares to physically having a teacher present to teach the material and answer questions. Keep an open mind when taking FLVS courses, but if all goes wrong, remember that the classroom will always be there to provide the best learning experience.