Richmond Senior High Senior Delante Dawkins has received his acceptance letter to UNC-Greensboro in the fall, however, he’ll already have credit at the school thanks to the virtual classroom program at RSHS.

He and other seniors are taking advantage of Internet-based learning courses that carry dual credit for high school and college, without paying tuition or buying books.

When Dawkins got to class Wednesday, the first thing he did was get on his Google calendar to see what was on tap. That particular day, he had an “Around the Globe” assignment to work on for his UNC-G Sociology class.

He has already received an “A” for his English 101 class through Richmond Community College on the net.

“These are actually really interesting because you learn about different societies or populations around the globe,” he said. “The way it works is you have a short eight to 10 minute video, and then you also have to read from the book, so it’s not totally on the computer, but you also have a 500-word essay that accompanies it.”

Dawkins explained at first, the class “was kind of vigorous for me. I just didn’t know what they expected.”

He made two mouse clicks and went to a review of his performance on every assignment from the semester.

“As you can see right here, I didn’t do as well on the first test, I got 17 out of 25,” he said. “But by the second test, you really start to get your feet under you, and I got a 22 out of 25. That’s about what I get — no less.”

He navigated back to his assignments with a left-click.

“Overall, the classes are pretty simple,” he said. “You just have to keep up with your work, make sure everything’s turned in on time and you’re doing your reading.”

He then navigated to a discussion forum for his Sociology class.

“This really helps you to interact with the class, because they’re not there in front of you,” he said. “You have to make a post for every assignment, and then people respond to your post, and you respond to theirs.”

The benefits of Internet learning are extolled by administrators and students of Richmond Senior High alike as the way classrooms will look in the future.

While current seniors are taking advantage of college credits in high school, juniors will have even more options to incorporate technology into their learning experience.

The school will begin virtual public high school next year, where RSHS Principal Cory Satterfield explained they’ll be able to take classes they wouldn’t have before, because schools can’t afford to hire a teacher to teach a course with only four or five students.

“We just want to offer as many opportunities to our students as possible, and stretch the amount of courses they have available,” Satterfield said. “What better way, during tough economic times, can you get college credits for free? The UNC-G and RCC are both offering students high school and college credits, and most of these classes transfer to any school in North Carolina.

“Now, the Virtual Public High School will allow students to take classes that might not be offered otherwise. This is the way of the future. A lot of colleges are going to this, and why not be able to take the classes right here at Richmond Senior with a facilitator in the room to give students guidance.”

Elizabeth Davis has also been accepted to UNC-G, and she is currently taking Psychology through the Internet.

“At first, I was kind of like, ‘Oh gosh,’ it’s going to be hard, but I really wanted to do it because I’m trying to get a feel for college,” she said. “It’s a little hard because you don’t have a teacher, but its just like the regular work.”

She is also taking AP classes online.

“I really do feel like this is how things will be done in the future, because they’re already starting to move AP classes to the Internet,” she said. “(In order to do well) students really have to be focused on what they’re doing, though. Mr. Neal helps out a lot, too.”

As a facilitator for Internet classes, RSHS teacher Ken Neal says there’s only one real challenge.

“Keeping them organized, but honestly, the kids we have taking the dual credit courses, they’re taking their education seriously,” he said. “They’re pretty responsible so you don’t have to stay on them as much.”

It’s not for every student though, Neal said.

“You really have to be a self-motivated, organized kind of person to be successful because you don’t have an instructor standing over you,” he said. “We had some that got in here the first semester, and they really kind of got punched in the mouth. That’s why I tell some of them, if you’re having trouble setting up your schedule, or doing things on your own, there’s a good chance you’re not going to be successful with these classes.”

Porcha Martin said it did take some adjustment time for her to get used to the different format.

“At first, it was a shock, because of the essays, and having to do things differently than you do (at RSHS),” she said. “I had to get a feel for everybody, the students and teachers and stuff. In the end, I feel like it’ll be well worth it.”

She said the student-teacher interaction is different.

“It’s kind of different, because they criticize you a little more than I was used to,” Martin said. “I think more than anything it’s because they’re dealing with you as a person, not as a group, so they really get to see what you can do.”

“I don’t think the Internet will ever replace a classroom teacher,” Neal said. “But it’s going to be a big part of how students will learn in the future. There are some things, like auto mechanics and physical education, that you just can’t teach over the Internet. However, the way technology’s going, kids are going to need to be able to do stuff on the computers.”