REVIEW OF Ontario Virtual School BY student, Fiona Holland

(4.5) Student Experience

My entire experience working with the Ontario Virtual School was great. I completed the SBI3U course through this school, and overall I was delighted with the course. The online platform perfectly supported my learning style, as I much prefer to complete tasks on my own time and organize my own schedule. The website itself was extremely user-friendly, easy to understand, and organized. I loved the structure of the course, the freedom it gave me to complete it without due dates, and the control I had over my own success. The only thing I would have changed about my experience didn’t really have anything to do with the school itself, but more so with my own schedule, as I sometimes didn’t have a quiet place to listen and complete my lessons, while still enrolled in regular high school at the time. That challenge aside, my experience taking a course at OVS was a great one, and I would definitely introduce it to any friends eager to try something new, or who prefer an online approach to learning.

(4) School Leadership

I respect all the leaders at the Ontario Virtual School very much. Being one of the program’s students, I can definitely appreciate the time, effort, and thought it must have taken to produce such a flawless digital platform. In addition, I admire the fact that the school offers countless different courses, each with a dedicated teacher. As a student, you can really tell that it took some incredible people to begin something as well done as OVS and that they have excellent staff to maintain the school’s success. Overall, I think that the leaders at OVS were great.

(4.5) Teaching

My teacher at OVS was everything a teacher should be; clear and concise, thorough with the material, and always eager to help. She never failed to answer my emails promptly, with well-thought-out feedback and assistance with any struggle I may have encountered on the way. She was extremely focused on my personal success and I felt that she genuinely wanted me to do well, which is always reassuring as a student. She had clear expectations for the work and tests and had a fair marking strategy that always showed me where I needed to improve. Overall, I had a great experience with teachers at OVS, specifically with my own teacher. I can imagine that all the teachers at OVS are this way, as she truly was excellent at her job.

(3.5) Academics

The Biology course I took at OVS was a great one. My teacher did a great job of delivering the material, which I found to be interesting and easy to understand. The assignments were challenging but in the right way. They required me to think critically, utilize my resources, and apply the lessons of the unit. The tests did the very same, but I often found that they had less to do with the content taught in the course. Perhaps for this particular course, the lessons have recently been updated and the evaluations remained the same. Regardless, I was quite successful and was able to use my overall understanding of the course to do well on the tests. With the course I took being Biology, I will certainly use what I learned in the future. I am grateful for the experience to learn more about the world around us and how we as people can improve it. In general, from an academic standpoint, OVS delivered great content, engaging assignments, and a great learning experience.

(4.5) School Life

If I was asked to help potential students or new student by giving them a tour of OVS, I would definitely jump at the opportunity. Being someone who has completed a course through OVS, I feel that I have sufficient knowledge, tips, and information to share with those who may be newer to the program. First, I would give them a tour of the course content, helping to spark their interest in what they may be learning. This was the first thing I did when I logged into the program for the very first time, and I was immediately eager to learn when I read about the course material. Overall, I would love to share my experience in any way I can and encourage students to be resilient and organized during their course, as well as to try something new with OVS.

(4) Admissions

When first researching OVS and the courses they offer, I was in a tough position with my schedule. I was rearranging my classes, struggling to find options that suited both my interests and my learning style. When I found OVS, I was immediately interested. I knew right away that I wanted to take Biology, to leave doors open at post-secondary programs that required I take a 3U science course. Looking back, I wish I’d selected something that would support my University major, Business and English, but I believe that learning about Biology is important for everyone even so. I had no idea what I would be applying for the next fall, and I am still content with the choice I made regardless. The actual application process at OVS was simple and quick, and I was able to start my course almost immediately. In the end, I am very happy with my decision to try OVS and I would definitely use it again for future courses.