Global Online Academy (GOA)
Friends’ Central School is a proud member of the Global Online Academy (GOA) non-profit member consortium. GOA is a group of 75 outstanding independent schools from around the world offering online courses to students in its member learning communities. GOA’s stated mission is to reimagine learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society.
In the summer of 2020, after a few months of virtual teaching early in the pandemic, Friends’ Central teachers experienced GOA for themselves as learners in a week-long professional development program. In addition to being impressed with the teaching, our faculty recognized that GOA’s student-centered, intellectually engaging approach to learning speaks to our own educational philosophy.
Students take GOA courses offered during the school year for credit; however, GOA courses do not fulfill departmental graduation requirements. For instance, one would earn credit for GOA’s Arabic language course, but that credit does not count towards FCS’s two-year language requirement. GOA course workload and course intensity are equivalent to courses taken on campus. Students are also expected to manage their workload and time effectively to support the largely asynchronous nature of the courses. Mindful that a GOA course takes a substantial amount of time, students who plan to take a GOA course as a sixth class must first meet with Mr. McDonnell, our GOA Site Director.
For more information about GOA courses, please visit their website here.
In the summer of 2020, after a few months of virtual teaching early in the pandemic, Friends’ Central teachers experienced GOA for themselves as learners in a week-long professional development program. In addition to being impressed with the teaching, our faculty recognized that GOA’s student-centered, intellectually engaging approach to learning speaks to our own educational philosophy. We believe the classes offered by GOA will serve as a helpful supplement to our own courses. While we will be sharing more news with the community about this exciting opportunity in the weeks ahead, including details about registration, we wanted to include GOA here, in the Curriculum Planner, for those students and families who like to plan ahead.
GOA FAQ
- Who may take a GOA course?
- Can a student earn FCS credit for a GOA course?
- What GOA courses may an FCS student take?
- How many GOA courses may an FCS student take?
- How much do GOA courses cost?
- Can FCS teachers help with GOA courses?
- Where can I find out more information about GOA courses?
- How do I register to take a GOA course?
