As the field of education continues to evolve, so does the need to continue expanding Americans’ access to a proper education. To do so, innovators and entrepreneurs around the world have worked to solve the problem by taking education to the internet. These organizations have reduced the barriers that many students face when trying obtain a comprehensive education.
Florida Virtual School (FLVS)
Florida Virtual School is an online school that provides opportunities for students between kindergarten to 12th grade to complete courses online. FVS is one of the pioneers to begin building on the idea of virtual education. Chief Operating Office and Founder Julie Young first created the idea for FLVS after receiving a grant to create online courses that allowed homeschooled students and those in rural areas to stay up-to-date on their education. FLVS offers over 150 courses to students around the nation who may not have the resources to succeed in a classroom setting. Since 1997, Florida Virtual School has expanded from 77 students to over 2 million students across the nation and 68 countries worldwide.
The Khan Academy
When the Khan Academy first began their operations in 2004, its CEO and Founder Sal Khan would have no idea that it would become one of the world’s most used online education platforms. The Academy was built with the mission that world-class education should be free for anyone, and offers free online courses, lessons, and resources for both teachers and students. Today, the Khan Academy offers tutorials for the basic subjects, including math, economics, and computer science, to over 42 million registered users from 190 different countries. Additionally, the content from Khan Academy has been translated to over 38 languages, with plans to expand in the future.
edX
Known as one of the largest online providers of massive open online courses, edX offers free online courses from a variety of universities. The concept for edX was created by MIT and Harvard University in 2012. Moocs provide students free, continuous access to a massive list of online courses from 130 leading universities worldwide. edX currently offers over 1,900 free online courses to over 14 million learners worldwide.
Florida Virtual School, The Khan Academy, and edX are just a couple examples of how organizations are working to make a quality education attainable through by providing it virtually. Advances in technology has allowed organizations and educators alike to reach students around the world in a new way.