Over the past eight years, while Liberty University’s adult online education programs have experienced record growth, its programs for the younger crowd have followed their lead.
Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA), which offers Christian online homeschooling for grades K-12, had only 97 students when it started in 2007. Today it has 3,500 students, making it the largest faith-based educational program of its kind. Enrollment is expected to rise to 5,000 in the next academic year.
Last year, LUOA’s faculty and staff personally crafted the school’s instructional materials to ensure that high-quality elementary, middle, and high school education is taught from a Christian worldview. All instruction is delivered online, saving parents the expense of commercially sold textbooks that lose effectiveness and resale value with each revision.
LUOA received its initial accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI) five years ago. An accreditation review team recently recommended that LUOA receive reaffirmation for an additional five years.
Prior to this year, the academy offered instruction for students from third through 12th grade, but added kindergarten through second grade after writing its own curriculum.
Dr. Jay Spencer, who oversees the program as a university vice provost, said this was a wise decision, allowing families to enroll all their school-aged children in LUOA. He noted that enrollment has risen by about 1,000 students this year alone, with all 50 states and 26 foreign countries represented in the student population.
First-grade students use the Liberty University Online Academy program at Faith Christian Academy in McLeansville, N.C.
At least 26 sponsoring organizations throughout the United States and in Asia are providing LUOA instruction. These organizations can reduce costs by using room facilitators — adults who supervise a group of students taking courses on computers at a designated location — rather than paying the higher salaries of certified teachers.
LUOA employs 30 staff members and about 90 online teachers. The teachers work from where they live but communicate with students via the Web. They hold group discussions about coursework and are available to communicate with students during online office hours.
LUOA offers a custom-made, multimedia instructional program that prepares students for challenging college instruction. Content is delivered through videos, PowerPoint presentations, and games that make classes as entertaining as they are effective.
Academic advisors serve as the main point of contact for parents and students, making sure that students remain on track with their assigned schoolwork.
Families are attracted by the personal attention their children receive. Many have also commented on how the program strengthens their student’s faith in Christ.
Shannon Grady, part of a military family stationed in Germany, said the entire program has been a positive experience for her son, Sean, a first-grader.
“I loved taking my courses online with Liberty and felt confident it would be just as terrific for my son,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the flexibility and continuity LUOA affords Sean.
Because the program is designed effectively, students spend less time receiving instruction than they would in a traditional classroom — an average of three to five hours a day — leaving more time for family and extracurricular activities.
“There are a lot of parents considering schooling their children at home,” Spencer said. “In traditional homeschooling, the lines sometimes get blurred between when Mom is being Mom or when Mom is being the teacher. Our program lets Mom be Mom all the time, and we provide the teacher.”
Liberty University Online Academy, in partnership with Liberty’s adult online education program, also offers The EDGE, a dual-enrollment program specifically designed for high school juniors and seniors who want to earn college credit while still in high school.
- For more information, visit www.Liberty.edu/OnlineAcademy.
