Gwinnett Online Campus

Challenge

Scaling Amidst Unprecedented Demand

As the only online education provider for nearly 180,000 students attending Gwinnett County Public Schools, Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC) faced a dramatic surge in enrollment after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure continued equal access to education, students across the district were invited to enroll at GOC as digital learners. Students would remain on their home schools’ rosters while completing all coursework online. The instructional model was also adjusted to include rolling enrollment, allowing students to register at GOC at any time throughout the school year, regardless of their online experience or academic standing.

With an 90% increase in student enrollment and expanded teaching staff, GOC navigated uncharted territory in meeting the increasing demand for online learning in just a few weeks. During the 2021–2022 school year, 70 new teachers and thousands of new students need to be onboarded.

“Since teachers would be hired only a few weeks before the semester began and students would be enrolling on a continual basis throughout the year, there would be limited time available for training,” noted Christopher Ray, Ph.D., principal at GOC. “The developed training needed to demonstrate versatility and allow us to scale up accessibility for all participants.”

To accommodate a large influx of students and teachers who were new to online education, GOC not only equipped them with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital classroom but also laid the groundwork for sustained growth and excellence in online education.

Solution

To address those challenges, GOC assembled a dedicated team of administrators, teacher leaders and technology experts.

“Our collaborative approach allowed us to leverage Brightspace effectively and develop two modernized, self-paced student and teacher training courses tailored to diverse needs of all learners,” explained Ray.

Accelerated Learning for Teachers

Consisting of 20 lessons, the GOC Teaching Training Institute (TTI) delivered focused courses on the fundamental day-to-day usage of Brightspace, its associated tools, and the best practices and expectations specific to the campus. However, it went beyond a simple training resource.

Enrolled as both teachers and students, the course was intentionally designed to simulate a live classroom experience to help educators gain insights into the student perspective. Over 10 bite-sized modules, educators were tasked with practical exercises such as crafting discussions, widgets and quizzes to develop essential skills for effective classroom management within the GOC environment.

Seasoned educators provided ongoing feedback, conducted personalized post-training meetings and mentorship, fostering an environment where all educators felt empowered and equipped to excel.

Although I have years of experience supervising teachers, the Teacher Training Institute was incredibly helpful in quickly getting me acclimated to the nuances of our online environment, both technically and pedagogically. As a new administrator at GOC, I am continually monitoring teacher’s courses to ensure essential tasks are taking place. The Teaching Institute provided me with the necessary background knowledge to navigate courses, support teachers and evaluate teacher effectiveness within an online environment.

Dr. Lisa Noga, administrator, Gwinnett Online Campus

By providing a simulated live classroom experience and focusing on essential skills, GOC ensured that educators were prepared to navigate the online environment effectively from day one, while also providing ongoing access to support and resources.

Ensuring Equity and Accessibility for Students

Offering personalized learning pathways had positively contributed to the graduation rate at GOC, with 90.8% pass rate in Fall 2020 for Personalized Learning courses. Thus, the vision to empower student through learner-led flexibility was also at the core of the student onboarding course.

“At GOC, the commitment to equity and accessibility drives the approach to student onboarding,” stresses Ray. “Every student, irrespective of their grade level or prior experience, receives the necessary support and training to navigate online learning with confidence.”

Delivered in a blending-learning format, students are given access to assignments and participated in live discussions in a genuine online classroom experience. Teacher leaders also played a pivotal role in facilitating onboarding to students and parents in-person and virtually, offering personalized guidance and resources that were aligned with each course’s requirements.

As the lead student onboarding facilitator, my job is to orient new students to the D2L platform. I’m using many of the same tools that I learned in the Teacher Institute as I help new students get familiar with key vocabulary and other important strategies to be successful.

Barb Turner, teacher & on-boarding facilitator, Gwinnett Online Campus

Whether it was providing instructions on utilizing tools such as the Equation Editor for math courses or offering support in navigating Brightspace, the student onboarding course used release conditions and formative quizzes to provide resources and guidance tailored to the student’s levels of prior knowledge and experience in online learning.

Result

Empowering Educators and Elevating Performance

Since the inception of the GOC Teaching Institute and student onboarding courses in the summer of 2021, the school has witnessed significant strides in educator preparedness and student engagement. Nearly 190 educators and administrators completed the training, accessing over 3,000 content topics to support their learning.

These initiatives contributed to GOC’s impressive 94% teacher retention rate. While teachers frequently reported that ‘this is the hardest job I’ve ever had’, they also reported that they ‘have never loved a job more’.

In a recent Gallup survey, 95% of teachers reported that their professional development effectively helps them learn and apply relevant skills and strategies. Additionally, 90% of teachers reported that they have the proper materials, training and resources to do their work right.

Although I have been teaching for 28 years, teaching at GOC is unlike anything that I had ever done before. The GOC Teacher Institute is a key piece in helping me prepare to teach in GOC’s digital environment and essential for my understanding and performance as an instructor. I was familiar with Brightspace, but I had never used Brightspace to its fullest extent. The step-by-step instructions and guided practice helped me become fluent with the depth of the D2L platform and prepared me for any task which I would need to complete as a GOC instructor.

Jennifer Crane, fourth grade teacher, Gwinnett Online Campus

Enhancing Student Learning

With widespread appreciation from students and parents alike, approximately 19,000 new online students benefitted from the student onboarding course.

Over 875 students received personalized onboarding support during the previous school year alone, equipping them with the requisite tools and confidence for success in their online courses.

“While the format may vary from a stand-alone module in a D2L course to one-on-one direct instruction and modeling within the courses, one thing remains the same: students are equipped with the tools and resources they need to be confident and successful in their online courses,” shared Ray.

Continued Growth and Excellence

Furthermore, the development and refinement of an internal instructional leadership team—the Center for Transforming Instruction—underscored GOC’s dedication to continuous improvement and innovation. Since the initial development of TTI in 2021, the course has undergone three revisions to included additional resources such as instructions videos and formative assessments. Since 2022, over forty teachers have participated in the development training.

As a testament to the effectiveness of the training programs in equipping educators with the necessary skills and confidence to excel in the online classroom, the desire to expand their skill set, develop lessons and modify their online courses has emerged.

“While many organizations may struggle to adapt and find solutions to scale training efforts, GOC’s partnership with D2L provided an opportunity to be seized,” concludes Ray. “By nurturing collaborative relationships and embracing forward-thinking approaches, we are able to train more teachers quickly so that the growing population of students are supported to thrive.”