An overview and analysis of online academy security and construction

Abstract

With the increasing ability for students to enrich educational experiences with online content and the move toward virtual schools, Richland County School District One has taken the initiative to develop a complete online academy. The goal of the Richland One Virtual Education Resources (Rover) Academy is to allow students in face-to-face classrooms to have access to courses not offered in their home schools as well as allow homebound students to continue to receive an accredited education. This has and continues to involve an extensive look at the best practices for the construction of such a virtual facility in terms of software engineering, hardware solutions, ease of use, and educational experience. Through the course of this paper, we present the findings of this best practices study as well as recommended steps and implementations to develop similar online academies in other school districts. Specific emphasis is placed on system security, course development, lesson conferencing, learning management systems, and logistical management culminating in a reusable evaluation for the effectiveness of the entire system that can be used to improve extant systems and guide the construction of new online academies. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.