What Are the Daily Learning Hours for Online School?

Without question, online learning time is efficient. School works and assignments can be completed anytime in the comfort of your own home with guidance from your parents. Gone are the days of rushing from one classroom to the next. There is no requirement, either, to set up a whole gym or laboratory before class and cleaning up after. And there is no requirement to print class activities and check them one by one. The time saved from these events does add up in the long run. But are the study hours the same as brick-and-mortar schools?

One of the many benefits of online schools is that they will need less time from you compared to brick-and-mortar schools. But then again, it’s highly dependent on the online school that you or your teen is enrolled in. On average, learners spend four hours online. Notably, there is no definitive guideline as to how long online students need to be logged in. Various states, school districts, and independent academic organizations have issued memorandum concerning learners’ schedules in America. These guidelines are specifically drafted to make every virtual school day to be both manageable and productive for every individual.

This brings us a shortcoming of this flexibility from online schools: Learners can be easily distracted.

Remember when traditional schools would disallow learners to utilize their phones during class? Or talking to their classmates or passing notes during the examinations. Due to the lack of an instructor’s physical presence, it is easy for learners to get sidetracked. How can learners not use their phones when their setup would be a fully functioning computer? Social media apps and video games are within your reach during and after online school hours. Not to mention that messaging your colleagues is easy even while your instructor is presenting. It is up to the parents or adults to discipline and monitor your teenager when it comes to this.

Parents play an all-crucial role in their teen’s online school hours. Because you now have a chance to be present during your teen’s online classes, take this as a chance to be more involved. Or a chance to guide your high schooler more into a better student.

Mealtime and sleeping patterns may be disrupted. Learning breaks might be prolonged. It is without a doubt that a parent’s part in making online schools work is critical.

But with these different schedules provided by schools and different teaching approaches, would that not affect learners?

The answer is that it is highly dependent on the learner. Some students will utilize this flexibility as an advantage. And some will find it hard at first, but anybody can and will learn under any schedule or study hours with the right attitude and guidance.

Online School Day

To not overwhelm young students, online schools set an appropriate instructional time for each age group. We all know that focusing too much can do more harm than good in the context of online learning. Younger learners must have a shorter attention span than adult learners, particularly when they want parental involvement to complete a task. Nevertheless, when they know how long they need to spend online, studying is more meaningful and productive.

In the Illinois school district, instructors have made an effort to keep online classes short. Precisely, instructors see that they only assign no more than 90 minutes of class work per day. This is true for younger learners or those in elementary or middle school. High school learners, on the other hand, get to spend 45 minutes on every subject. This will approximately translate to 4 hours and 30 minutes per school day. If you reside in Illinois, you can expect this class schedule.

Additionally, in Kansas, the state school board expects their K-1 distance students to spend 45 minutes each day for school work. But for high school learners, the state school board estimates that high schoolers can stay focused for at least 3 hours doing classwork.

Oregon and Oklahoma have more extensive guidance in terms of instructional time in online and remote learning. School boards in these states have offered learning guidelines for every grade level for each subject, including math, reading, and arts and crafts. At the same time, other states have not issued any learning guidelines.

Scheduling in Online Schools

Online schools have efficient approaches to cater to different learners that have different schedules. Some would hand out assignments to learners that they can do at their own time. But compared to brick-and-mortar schools, virtual schools provide flexibility. If you have other commitments like part-time jobs or family matters, some online schools provide recorded lessons or learning materials so you could catch up. Some would even need to take the crucial examinations, but it is, of course, given that you have studied them. Some provide different schedules so students could select what is the most suitable arrangement depending on their situation.

Why Online Learning Schedule Is More Relaxed

Choosing one’s schedule or learning hours has its advantages. Learners could do more productive things. They could finally have extra time for their families or hobbies that they are passionate about. Some even take extra classes that would prove to be beneficial in the long run. As we have mentioned, some virtual schools would only necessitate you to take the necessary examinations while giving you the study materials. In this learning setup or remote learning, you are at liberty to learn the whole term in advance and have a lot of free time. Additionally, different study hours and programs can be granted if you have problems with your online tools or internet connection.

The Pace of Online Learning is Different

It perhaps does not need to be said, but the structure of a normal school day is wildly different now that students are studying at home. Learners no longer have the rhythms of lunch, special events, and recess. They are not walking through the hallways as well as stopping at their lockers. All this time adds to a normal school day and is not built into an online one.

That is not to say that a brick-and-mortar schedule is packed with fluff. Teenagers receive a lot of direct instructional time in the classroom that they are not getting now. But professionals say the hours do not really translate to the home environment.

Experts Say Teens Should Spend Less Time on Work

 Individuals have shared the image below widely on social media. This features recommendations from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which stipulates that elementary learners should have 1-2 hours each day for online instruction, middle school learners 2-3 hours, and high school learners 3-4 hours.

Other professionals agree with these general guidelines. Meanwhile, instructors are trying to find the right balance between synchronous—or “real-time” discussions and lectures —and asynchronous work like projects and activities.

Under These Unusual Circumstances, We May Need to Set the Bar Even Lower

The reality is the days are challenging right now for every individual. Teens might not have access to the necessary technology. They might be caring for their younger brothers and sisters. They might not have backing from busy parents who are also trying to work from home. In these situations, attempting to replicate a traditional school schedule online may be hard.

Why Online School Schedule Is More Relaxed

For the most part, it appears that online school schedules are far more relaxed than traditional studies were. Take a look at the following points:

1. Sufficient Time for Rest and Relaxation

The primary advantage of distance learning programs is that students have unlimited time to themselves with no need to attend some lectures or classes in person if they feel tired or lack interest in studying a certain course.

A non-traditional student can learn about his own interests and pace as per the requirements of their individual study plan rather than being forced to follow other students’ footsteps by teachers’ threats or pressure from peers etc. You don’t even know how many hours you will need every day until you finish a specific module and earn credits! In other words, you spend as much time on your studies as needed.

2. Flexibility in Studying Schedule

This is another great advantage of online school schedules where students are not forced to follow a certain timetable or lecture during exams period or any other important days such as holiday seasons etc.

A student can study his course at his own pace and comfort with full flexibility according to the needs of the exam preparation and personal commitments. In this sense, online education seems more practical than traditional classroom learning where many students have got no option but to work hard up until the last moment before an exam even if they don’t need it…just for fear that someone else will do so instead! However, non-traditional students know how to use their leisure time wisely and get the most benefit out of it.

3. Flexibility in Studying from Anywhere

Last but not the least, online school schedules are considered a great advantage for students who travel frequently or have to work full-time jobs, etc. Since non-traditional students can study any course at any time from anywhere by using an internet connection, they don’t need to feel any regret about their absence from some lectures which often are boring and useless in many cases!

Therefore, distance learning students have more freedom to manage their own time as per the demands of their own careers or lives outside school …and teachers never know if you’re present in class or not unless you tell them!

In short, studying online is cheaper than traditional education. Therefore, online education can save you a lot of time and money, and most importantly, it helps your brain to work harder than ever before!

Resources and References:

• Flexibility of Online Learning
• Online Class Schedules
• Social Media Apps for Education