Students and teachers, now more than a month into RSD’s Applied Learning Program (ALP), are finding it has its benefits and disadvantages. 

As a part of the ALP, assignments are now given online through Google Classroom or Canvas, and teachers check up on students regularly through Zoom meetings. 

Zoom meetings allow students to communicate with their teachers, as well as get information about assignments or anything they might find confusing. 

Emily Callis, junior, said Zoom is beneficial. 

“I think Zoom is a good way to communicate with teachers for online learning because it still gives you face-to-face contact, even though it’s through a screen,” she said.

  Clare White, sophomore, also said Zoom is a beneficial way to communicate. 

“It allows for students to ask questions they may have on an assignment without writing a long drawn out email to their teachers,” she said. 

White said that while she thinks Zoom is a good online platform for classes, she personally prefers the in-school environment better than online school.

“It allows for students to learn hands on and communicating with teachers is much easier in person,” she said, adding that using a planner to keep track of assignments helps. 

Kyle Devine, science teacher, said online school is not an ideal way to communicate with students.

 “I really miss being able to interact with students during the lesson,” he said. “There is a lot of feedback that teachers get by asking questions and seeing the confidence, or lack thereof, in the student’s verbal and nonverbal answers.”

Devine also said giving lab assignments online can be difficult. 

“The students can do the lab, but they may not understand it as well because they don’t know where the data is coming from,” he said.  

Devine, who is the assistant coach for basketball and the head coach of girls golf, said the PE department gives their student athletes weekly workouts, and they can still exercise at home without much equipment. 

“This will be a great test of will power for the athletes who can keep themselves in shape without direct supervision from adults and their peers,” Devine said.