Officials in the Columbus Community and Winfield-Mount Union school districts are reviewing the pros and cons of their “virtual day test run.”

While students have been learning in the classroom the entire school year, the districts conducted a 100-percent online learning day Monday, November 23, as a practice for what could happen if they were to move to virtual classrooms. Shared Superintendent Jeff Maeder says internet connectivity and accessibility for students from their homes were among the administration’s biggest concerns going into the exercise. He says results were mixed and they have some work to do with accessibility and scheduling conflicts for homes with multiple students. 

Still, Maeder says the virtual day trial run was just a sampling of how their online learning model could look, “We also learned there are significant differences between doing it for one day and doing it for an extended period. So, just another bit of learning.” 

Despite the practice, Maeder stresses there is nothing imminent that would suggest either Columbus Community or Winfield-Mount Union schools will need to move classrooms online in the near future.  Students in both districts have been 100-percent onsite since the school year began.