Arabic, Medical Problem Solving, and Neuropsychology are not your typical offerings in a high school curriculum. At EA, high school juniors and seniors can choose from nearly 60 courses offered through Global Online Academy. GOA is a consortium of independent schools from around the world that work together to offer a wide range of online courses to high school students.
Abby Baggini '18 is enrolled in her second year of Arabic. "I decided to take Arabic because I have always been interested in the political situation in the Middle East, as well as the language," said Abby. "Arabic was a good fusion of the two. It also struck me as such a unique opportunity, so I decided I should try it out."
Each semester, EA students have the opportunity to enroll in a GOA elective. "These courses add flexibility to our students' scheduling and add to the breadth of electives offered," explained EA's GOA site director Dr. Adam Lavallee. Students complete their course work during free periods, in the evenings, and on weekends.
Abby especially enjoys the global reach of the faculty and students. "One of my teachers was an American who studied Arabic at Middlebury University and works with King's Academy. The other was a Palestinian woman who lives in Jordan. It was great because we had both native and non-native speakers teaching us."
Aylish Flahaven '18 studied Abnormal Psychology and was awarded a Global Online Academy Citation for her GOA Catalyst Conference project. "I studied and found a possible treatment plan for postpartum depression where a therapist would work with the expecting mother during pregnancy and for up to a year afterwards," explained Aylish. "I spoke with an OBGYN and a professor at Drexel University to gather professional insight on my idea."
"I really liked taking this GOA course on top of my regular courses. It's a subject that I am interested in independently, and I was able to pursue my interests using a platform other than the classroom," said Aylish.
"I wanted to experience a class where I was mostly self-dependent to challenge my organizational abilities," shared Jessica Brady '18. "Medical Problem Solving interested me because I have always been interested in the medical field, and I wanted to test out if I liked it." Jessica worked on assignments and projects "virtually" with students from China and Japan.
EA has been a participating GOA member school since 2014. "GOA has been and will continue to be a unique and valuable opportunity for our students," said Dr. Lavallee. "The feedback has been tremendous."
"It was a great experience and I have learned so much!" said Jessica.
Dr. Lavallee has recently been selected a GOA Learning Design Coach. He is part of the inaugural Learning Design Coaches Cohort which is made up of thirteen coaches, each of whom has demonstrated a commitment to excellent teaching and learning in the classroom and the professional learning community.