Some may be aware that BYU was originally BYA (Brigham Young Academy). One hundred fifty years ago, many BYA students were high-school-aged youth. As the school grew, it focused increasingly on providing higher education until it achieved the status of Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1903. In recent years, however, BYU has again begun to offer high school diplomas—this time online.
While BYU Independent Study has provided self-paced online courses to high school students for decades, BYU offered no high school diplomas. In 2020, BYU Continuing Education began an entirely new program, offering not only the first BYU high school diplomas since 1968 but also a unique online learning experience, different from any other online course provider in the world.
With increased schedule flexibility, diverse course offerings, and the ability to participate from anywhere in the world, the benefits of online learning are obvious. When some people think of online school, however, a host of concerns come to mind: high costs, lack of social interaction, and comparatively bad academic support are just a few. While historically these issues may have deterred many from pursuing an online education, BYU Online High School (OHS) is revolutionizing online learning.
Unique among online course providers, BYU OHS offers financial aid to students who would otherwise be unable to enroll. A committee of BYU OHS staff meets weekly to review applications for financial aid, considering the individual circumstances of each applicant in order to offer a BYU high school education to as many individuals as possible.
To those who worry about the social development of their children, rest assured that BYU OHS is at the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to facilitating social interaction between online learners. In addition to a variety of online clubs, BYU OHS recently began sorting students into houses, placing each youth in a community of peers that further interact with each other as they participate in team activities and compete against other houses. “There’s a lot of friendly competition,” shares Joseph Roberson, BYU OHS Academic Product Manager. “It builds community, and it builds friendships.”
Additionally, while many alternatives to the traditional brick-and-mortar high school sacrifice the benefit of individual academic support, BYU OHS features premier infrastructure for supporting each and every student with their individual needs. The Student Success Center at BYU Continuing Education provides numerous resources for BYU OHS students. Roberson explains, “When [students] come into the program, we give them the opportunity to be paired with a peer mentor. . . . A peer mentor can help you pace yourself and stay on track academically.” Additionally, all BYU OHS students are entitled to two free tutoring sessions per week, affording each student the support necessary to excel.
In summary, maybe it’s time to reconsider presuppositions regarding online learning. With need-based financial aid, dynamic programs that encourage social interaction, and exemplary individual academic support, BYU OHS is the front-runner in the continual development of online learning. “We’re not content with just offering an online high school,” Roberson asserts, “you can find those anywhere. We have our own special brand of high school where we want the kids to know that we care. We want to provide them with as many opportunities as possible.”