As more families turn to online education at all levels of learning, the Liberty University Online Academy continues to expand its K-12 program, with a record enrollment of 18,400 students last year. Recorded.
Sherri Deeder of Bluffs, Illinois is the grandmother of LUOA middle and high school students. She helps her grandchildren with their classes while her parents are at work.
Shelley Deeder with granddaughter Taylor and granddaughter Braylen
“LUOA’s curriculum is rigorous, challenging and keeps students engaged,” she said. “The flexibility is unbelievable. It strengthens their understanding of being part of it.”
Deeder graduated from Liberty with a degree in elementary education in 1994, so Liberty is a special connection she shares with her grandchildren.
“Their parents bring their children to our home. We can have breakfast with them, go to school on time, have lunch together, “It’s always been a dream of mine to have our grandchildren join LU, and when the time comes, it will be. Every year, we are stronger than the year before.” love it too.”
LUOA Dean and Superintendent of Education, Dr. Chris Rusk, said students tend to come from either Christian families seeking a faith-based education or non-Christian families who simply appreciate Liberty’s quality education. rice field. In both cases, Rusk said the goal of LUOA is not just to reach students with the gospel, but to influence them.
her family.
“We want our students to know Christ. We want their parents and guardians to know Christ,” he said. “When we interact, we’re interacting with families. We’re not just changing one life. We want to change the lives of entire families.”
Rusk said that’s why all the courses are designed with a biblical mindset.
“When we first wrote the course, the first thing we did for our writers was a Christian worldview training session so that they could learn how to start with the Bible and progress into individual areas. There are many courses in other Christian programs that take a secular course and build upon it the elements of Scripture and faith. I believe it is always the best thing to do, so that Christ is in the course from the beginning.”
LUOA serves families nationwide and even around the world. Over the past four years, students have enrolled from 99 countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, Qatar and Iraq.
Many families are drawn to the program’s flexibility. The program operates on a rolling enrollment schedule with start dates every Monday. A 10-month curriculum allows families to decide whether to study year-round or add their own breaks. The curriculum is self-paced, allowing students to spend extra time on struggling subjects and not be left behind like in traditional classrooms. Students can take responsibility and move forward on their own schedules and learning tempo.
Sarah Ketra Collie and daughter Aurora Kane
Sarah Ketula Collie of Tampa, Florida, enrolled at LUOA in 2012. As an actress in her teenage years, she had to attend her education as she regularly attended auditions and theater programs with her family.
“I knew I wanted to get a Christian-like education, but I also wanted to pursue my acting dreams,” Corrie said. “It worked really well. If I needed to miss a few days, I could do it over the weekend. It allowed me to fit into my busy schedule.”
Corey made LUOA a family tradition last year by enrolling daughter Aurora Kane in kindergarten. Cory said Aurora is on the autism spectrum and tends to be overstimulated in a typical classroom.
“We tried different daycares and schools, but they weren’t at the pace she needed,” Collie said in November. I felt like I would go to a school that wouldn’t let me, so I looked at other options. , there is no doubt that she is in it.”
A pioneer in distance education and a longtime leader in online education, Liberty University launched LUOA in 2007. In the last few years, the academy’s enrollment has increased by 41%. Rusk explains that this is partly due to his COVID-19 pandemic. An increasing number of families are also seeking online alternatives to traditional schools.
“We realized[in 2020]that many families have moved to an online format and schools don’t know how to do it,” Rusk says. “(The school) went from nothing to nothing in a matter of months. This is the source of the disaster. You cannot build an online program in weeks or months. Many families came to our school because we were providing them, and when they came to us they knew we had been in the online space for a while. ”
(Photo by Ellie Richardson)
It is also important that students and their families feel connected to others in the program. LUOA has multiple ways to connect classmates online and in person, including student clubs, annual Christmas parties, and tailgates before Liberty football games.
“We try to find ways to get to know each other by getting our students directly involved and giving them the opportunity to interact in a fun but supervised environment,” Rusk said. So, high school seniors get to know each other and when they come to campus for graduation, they already have friends they can walk with.”
Deeder says teachers and advisors are in frequent contact with the grandchildren throughout the year. All her LUOA students have access to a specially trained academic advising team in elementary, middle, or high school. Advisors are readily available for computer issues and prayer requests.
“Teachers reach out to children each week to ask what’s going on in their lives and how they can help,” says Deeder. “Your advisors will do everything in their power to help you, too. No matter who you contact at LUOA, they are families of people who genuinely want their children to succeed.”
For more information, please visit the following URL: Liberty.Edu/LUOA(866) 418-8741 or email LUOAinfo@liberty.edu.
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