NBTHS hopes to have good fortune with new online learning class

NORTH BRUNSWICK — About 30 students have shown interest in a new Mandarin class that will be offered online next year at North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS).

The New Jersey Virtual School (NJVS) program is the high school’s first attempt to offer online learning during the school year, “a 21st-century skill our kids really need,” according to Kevin Farrell, director of guidance.

The course would be offered for one period each school day, but students would work at their own pace. They would be supervised by an NBTHS staff member, but would have access to a NJVS instructor using a chat option. They would learn basic Mandarin, such as numbers, the alphabet, culture and basic conversation. The course would fulfill a one-year world language requirement, because there would be assignments, assessments and participation grades as in a regular instructional class.

There are currently eight students at the high school and 35 in the district who consider Mandarin to be their home language. This program is open to non-native speakers.

“I think in this global economy, a language serves a student’s career and professional interests,” said Suzan Ezdinli-Palazzo, supervisor of world languages and assistant principal at the school. “We are looking forward to seeing how this works, and tracking the progress of the students.”

Farrell said that an online program could give North Brunswick students an edge when applying for college, since applications ask for good grades, SAT scores, volunteerism and extracurricular activities; the technological component to the learning makes them stand out, he said.

“We want our students to be able to compete when they leave here,” Farrell said .

The Mandarin course is part of a larger strategic planning, asynchronous learning opportunity within the North Brunswick school district. Instead of being confined to a classroom from the hours of 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski said an online program allows students to integrate themselves into the virtual world.

“This is part of a larger initiative to start preparing children for their world, which is a world of 24/7,” he said.

Online courses are already used for remedial work and summer school, at a parent’s expense, for “credit recovery.” A student can complete coursework online instead of spending time in a study hall or failing a class. Zychowski said that has been advantageous.

If the Mandarin course is deemed successful, there could be discussion about future online opportunities.

Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.