3 Benefits of Taking Online Summer Courses with VHS Learning

Registration for summer 2023 online courses is now open! With courses offered in both 4 and 8-week sessions, students can find a summer course that fits their schedule and enables them to complete electives and core courses over the summer. These courses are completed on students’ schedules, leaving space for a summer job, vacations, or other summer commitments. Whether a student is looking to catch up and relearn important concepts, get ahead in the curriculum, and explore topics of interest, taking online summer courses can be a beneficial way for students to make progress toward academic goals.

Here are three benefits of taking online summer courses with VHS Learning:

1. Add Scheduling Flexibility
   By taking online summer courses, students can receive credit at their school for required courses—like physical education or health--during the summer months, allowing for greater scheduling flexibility during the school year. By completing core courses in the summer, students can open up space in their schedule during the school year to take courses that are only offered in the fall and spring, whether that’s face-to-face or online.
   The summer is also a great time for students to begin self-paced courses, allowing them to adjust to taking a course virtually––or even complete the whole course––while they aren’t in school full-time. New this year, VHS Learning will also provide flexibly paced and credit recovery courses during the summer that offer rolling admission.

2. Explore Interests
   Sometimes, it’s impossible for students to make space in the fall or spring semesters to take courses that pique their interests. Online summer courses provide a great opportunity to explore courses and subjects outside of core credits––without conflicting with required courses during the school year. With VHS Learning’s summer school courses, students are able to take Digital Photography, Personal Finance, Earth: Our Changing Planet, and even Intro to Neuroscience! Having an opportunity to explore these unique and exciting topics in high school may be the key to discovering future college majors and career opportunities.

3. Recover Credits or Get Ahead
   VHS Learning offers 18 different courses for credit recovery,* including all high school grade levels of English, U.S. government and history courses, four different mathematics courses, Physical Education, and Health. The summer school format offers 4 and 8-week courses for students to progress with their classmates.
   Other students may benefit from using the summer to get ahead in their studies. Taking core classes during the summer months can help students accelerate their learning, enabling them to take higher level courses during the fall and spring semesters. This is a great opportunity for students who want to work on building college credits during high school by taking AP® courses or dive deeper into language or elective courses that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to fit into their standard schedule.

Summer Options

With different formats available, which course should you enroll in this summer? VHS Learning’s Summer School courses are either 4-weeks (starting in June or July) or 8-weeks (starting in June) for students to progress with their classmates. Like all VHS Learning courses, they are taught by highly-qualified teachers that are certified in their discipline and trained to teach online.

Credit recovery courses are self-paced, enabling motivated learners to complete courses in as little as four or eight weeks, but allowing up to 15 weeks for students who need extra time to complete their course. Taking credit recovery courses during the summer ensures students are on track to continue their academic progress in the Fall.

This year for the first time, VHS Learning is offering seven new Flexibly Paced Courses for initial credit* that serve as a students’ first introduction to a subject. These are rigorous, self-paced, and approved for NCAA initial eligibility and include subjects like Chinese Language and Culture and U.S. Government and Civics. Courses will open in June and have rolling admission.

With the many online summer options, students can catch up and relearn important concepts, get ahead in the curriculum, and explore topics of interest. VHS Learning courses are conducted entirely online, so students can learn from anywhere they have internet access. Plus, summer courses are designed to be completed on students’ schedules, leaving space for a summer job, vacations, or other summer commitments, while still making progress towards academic goals.

For additional information and to register for any VHS Learning summer course, visit vhslearning.org/summer.

*Before registering, students should consult their school to ensure credit will be granted for a VHS Learning course.