Status Report of the Online High School and Notification of Name Change of University of Miami Global Academy

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 12 Status Report of the Online High School and Notification of Name Change of University of Miami Global Academy Presented to the University of Miami General Welfare Committee Faculty Senate Submitted by Craig Wilson, J.D., Ph.D., founding Head of School in collaboration with Marilyn Neff, Ed.D., and Shawn Post, Ph.D., School of Education and Human Development August 2015

2 Page 2 of 12 Table of Contents Introduction. 2 Point Point Point Point Point Point Conclusion. 10 Table 1: UMGA Statistics at a Glance. 11

3 Page 3 of 12 I INTRODUCTION The journey to establish the University of Miami Global Academy (UMGA) online middle and high school has been challenging and rewarding. Craig Wilson was hired as the founding head of school in 2008 to move the school from concept to reality. One of the first tasks undertaken was moving from the generic name of online high school used to describe the concept to a name that would allow for its future growth. Therefore, the name Global Academy was selected to represent the global reach the school would aspire to have in terms of school mission, student body and cultural appreciation. During the process, Drs. Marilyn Neff and Shawn Post of the School of Education and Human Development provided constant counsel and were instrumental in UMGA s ability to achieve successes highlighted below. As the school began to take shape, a series of existing systems were reimagined and new systems created both in terms of technologies and processes. To enhance the journey, the new high school had to fit into an existing university structure with exceptions as will be noted later in this report. Below is a timeline to highlight key milestones. 2008: Name of school, mission, vision, and goals established 2009: UMGA opened its virtual doors to students 2010: Achieved accreditation from Southern Association of Colleges and Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) accreditation (separate and apart from the University s accreditation) 2010: Achieved charter for National Honor Society 2012: Added middle school grade levels (grades 6-8) 2013: Achieved NCAA certification for student-athletes vying for entry to Division I universities 2014: Achieved accreditation from Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) accreditation and is the only virtual school in the state to receive this distinction in the organization s 60+ year history 2011 to 2015: UMGA graduates have been accepted to Arizona, Clemson, Emory, Harvard, International University of Monaco, NYU, Penn State, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Oregon, Seton Hall, Virginia, among other highly regarded colleges and universities What follows are updates to the six points outlined in the Faculty Senate meeting held January 30, The six points as paraphrased from the meetings minutes were: 1. Opportunities for faculty research, course development, and as a recruitment tool for strong students.

4 Page 4 of Opportunities for students in the School of Education to gain valuable experience in a growing area of education delivery. 3. Expansion of the UM brand name and ultimately generate revenue. 4. The online high school will be a high-quality enterprise in every regard, including the teachers, students, and curriculum. 5. External review of the online high school after three years and periodically thereafter. 6. At some point the online high school should allocate money for scholarships to those students who are eligible but cannot afford the tuition.

5 Page 5 of 12 P1 Point 1: Opportunities for Faculty Research, Course Development, and as a Recruitment Tool for strong students Faculty Research. Over the years, opportunities for faculty research have been available. However, due to conflicting schedules of the high school and university calendars, it has been a challenge to coordinate these efforts. That said, several university students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, have collected information on processes and teaching modalities for various class projects and personal interest endeavors. Faculty interest is beginning to pick up, and I suspect this will blossom as the university continues to embrace online learning via its college-level programs. Course Development. When UMGA began working with an outside curriculum development company (FYI) in 2008, some faculty were engaged as subject matter experts. Since that time, the company s contract with the University was ended and curriculum was licensed from a more established source aligned to state and national standards. Opportunities still exist for specialized courses, however, the time commitment required of faculty subject matter experts is exorbitant and, thus unlikely to occur on a large scale. Recruitment Tool. UMGA serves students within and outside our geographical region. As such, students choose to attend higher education institutions from all over the United States and around the world. That stated, competition to attend the University has heightened since UMGA began admitting students in Some students have been accepted and ultimately attended the University.

6 Page 6 of 12 P2 Point 2: Opportunities for students in the School of Education and Human Development to gain valuable experience in a growing area of education delivery. Students within the School of Education and Human Development have been able to gain valuable experience in the field of online learning. This has occurred via a course developed by Craig Wilson, founding head of school, entitled TAL 493/593: Online Teaching and Leadership. The 3-credit course has been taught to graduate students in the School since Spring During the semester long course, students learn foundational elements of online teaching, characteristics of online students, online course design principles, intellectual property, and online school leadership. Additionally, UMGA teachers have been trained in state-approved clinical supervision by personnel in the School of Education and Human Development. Having clinically trained teachers in UMGA will facilitate internship experiences in online education methods for prospective teachers.

7 Page 7 of 12 P3 Point 3: Expansion of the University of Miami brand name and ultimately generate revenue. Brand Name. The University of Miami brand name is well known and highly regarded. Through UMGA, the University s connection to the world of online learning has been amplified in venues it normally does not reach. Having an online school continued to help the University s name penetrate K-12 online agencies like International Association for K- 12 Online Learning (inacol), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS), and others. Revenue. The online school has generated revenue, however, operational costs have outpaced revenue. While launching such an endeavor at the height of the 2008 recession was daunting, the school pressed on. Further, in building a high school from the ground up, earning accreditation and creating processes unique to the world of online learning require time and consistency. Moreover, dedicated marketing that concentrates on the high school message is imperative to building enrollment. The challenge for UMGA has been comparable high schools (online and brick and mortar) have marketing and admissions departments dedicated to student recruitment. UMGA has shared marketing resources with other college/adult-directed programs since its inception. A high-school focused marketing effort would help UMGA student recruitment considerably. Despite UMGA s revenue challenges, it has proven its value in other measurable ways. It helped inform the University in online teaching and learning processes, online learning community building, and hybrid education practices (blending online and brick and mortar learning) among other areas. With respect to hybrid education, UMGA taught Miami Country Day School campus-based students in the subject of Mandarin for almost two years. The positive feedback and testimonials propelled UMGA into the spotlight and afforded the school an opportunity to present at the FCIS annual conference.

8 Page 8 of 12 P4 Point 4: The online high school will be a high-quality enterprise in every regard, including the teachers, students, and curriculum In a relatively short time, UMGA has proven itself a high-quality educational enterprise. Our teachers are experts in their subject areas, hold master s degrees or higher, and are state certified. Further, our teachers continue to improve their skills though in-service professional development opportunities both at the University and elsewhere. Our students continue to shine academically and through their extracurricular pursuits like athletics and the performing arts. Examples include numerous students taking AP (advanced placement) courses while practicing, competing/performing at the highest levels. Additionally, some students have earned National Honor Society membership via the UMGA NHS charter. Our graduates have been accepted to higher education institutions around the country and world including Emory, Harvard, International University of Monaco, NYU, Penn State, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Oregon, Seton Hall, Virginia, among other highly regarded colleges and universities. Our educators, curriculum, and approach to virtual learning have prepared students to excel in college and in life. A hallmark of the UMGA experience is the opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the virtual classroom to real world situations via service-learning projects. UMGA believes students should understand the impact they potentially have on the globe, and through service-learning they are able to volunteer in projects that support their local communities. We continue to enhance students learning experiences through research, feedback, and experimentation.

9 Page 9 of 12 P5 Point 5: External review of the online high school after three years and periodically thereafter External review of the Global Academy has been, and continues to be an ongoing event. The school received its first external review from SACS CASI in 2009 in route to securing that agencies accreditation. In 2013, the school went through a second external review from FCIS in route to securing that agency s accreditation. External reviews will continue periodically as part of the process for UMGA to maintain its accreditation.

10 Page 10 of 12 P6 Point 6: At some point the online high school should allocate money for scholarships to those students who are eligible but cannot afford the tuition While the school has not been in a positon to offer scholarships up to this point, we ve constructed payment plans and managed to connect students to a financial aid source used by brick and mortar private schools around the country (e.g., Your Tuition Solution, Inc.). Additionally, UMGA created a series of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) to help high school students prepare for the SAT subject test in Biology and the AP Calculus exam as part of our focus on STEM. This endeavor was considered the first MOOCs created by a high school for high school students and was mentioned on NPR, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company), EdWeek, Miami Herald, and other news outlets. When UMGA is in a better financial position, allocation for scholarships will be enthusiastically revisited.

11 Page 11 of 12 C CONCLUSION The Global Academy has traveled quite a journey to this point. Building a school culture, establishing policies, acquiring curriculum, hiring personnel, achieving various levels of accreditation, and establishing a reputation for quality were all necessary to reach a level of excellence beyond that of other virtual schools and instrumental to future growth. Launching the school during the economic downturn added its own set of challenges for potential students and their families. However, unwavering support and guidance from the School of Education and Human Development, the resiliency of the Division of Continuing and International Education, and esprit de corps exhibited by the UMGA team make our school a special place to learn. The new head of school, Maria Chelala, Ed.D., has been hired to advance the school in its next phase of growth. Her background and education coupled with UMGA s existing accreditations and increasing national/international acceptance of online learning at the K- 12 level will allow UMGA to reach its full potential.

12 Page 12 of 12 Table 1: UMGA Statistics at a Glance OPER YEAR Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 FISCAL YEAR FY FY FY FY FY14 REVENUE EXPENSES PROFIT/LOSS 209, ,969 (604,355) 367, ,206 (321,280) 571, ,009 (159,041) 483, ,657 (387,971) 558, ,913 (175,298) Course Enrollments * 511 Headcount FT: 3 PT: 111 FT: 11 PT: 157 FT: 23 PT: 115 FT: 25 PT: 152 FT: 21 PT: Year 6 FY15 427, ,125 (251,934) FT: PT: Totals 2,618,998 4,518,879 (1,889,879) 2245 FT: 113 PT: 732 College Acceptances Graduates (Partial list) NA Clemson U Emory U (early 3 decisions) Harvard U (early 12 decision) Int l U of Monaco 8 New York U Penn State U Seton Hall U 11 U of Arizona U of Miami 8 U of Mississippi U of Oregon 42 U of Virginia Notes: Online schools typically have more part-time than full-time students because most prospective students are already enrolled in a brick and mortar school. However, these students desire online courses to augment or advance their learning. Full-time students tend to be those that have passions in the performing arts or sports, or, students whose families travel. *Started middle school grades (lower tuition rate)