Michigan Is First in Nation to Propose Statewide High School E-Learning Requirement

by Jamey Fitzpatrick, President, Michigan Virtual University

More than ever, today’s students need specific skills and knowledge to be competitive in a global, information-based economy. Today’s workforce often needs to independently acquire skills via the Internet in order to meet the ever-changing demands of international markets and technology. Implementing strategies that promote 21st Century learning skills in Michigan will make the state more competitive and a national leader in workforce development (see a list of the 21st Century Applied Learning Core Skills on page 5). E-learning, or electronic learning, was a key component of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Flanagan’s recommendations for reformed high school graduation requirements, adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in December 2005.

Specifically, Flanagan called for all Michigan high school students to complete one online credit or noncredit course or learning experience. If turned into law, this requirement would be the first in the nation. Flanagan’s report stated that “In the 21st Century, the ability to be a lifelong learner will, for many people, be dependent on their ability to access and benefit from online learning. The experience of online learning must be integrated into each and every student’s high school education.” The report also indicates that to meet this proposed requirement, schools can work collaboratively with the Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS) or other online course providers and/or implement strategies to use local educators to teach online courses in a blended face-to-face and virtual format.

The proposed online learning requirement is consistent with one of the core recommendations contained in the U.S. Department of Education’s 2005 National Education Technology Plan. According to the plan, “Educators must embrace e-learning solutions if they want to ensure that every student has a quality educational experience.” The proposed requirement is also consistent with the draft state educational technology plan. A key recommendation proposed in the report states, “Every Michigan Student will have meaningful technology-enabled learning opportunities based on research and best practice that include virtual learning experiences.”

If Michigan is to be competitive as a state, our young people must have 21st Century learning skills. These skills include technology literacy, multicultural literacy, personal productivity, and the ability to collaborate and work in team environments. Evidence of this critical need surfaced once again in the recent restructuring strategy announced by Michigan-based Delphi Corporation, the nation’s largest auto supplier. According to an article appearing in the Toronto Globe and Mail (October 13, 2005), “…the Delphi restructuring brings two themes to the forefront; one is globalization and the other is education.”

“If you want to make sure that your kids have a good standard of living, you make sure that they get a good education because the world pays knowledge workers far more than it pays manual industrial workers.”

-Robert Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delphi Corp.
October 12, 2005

Another statement about this imperative reads:

“Thanks to globalization, driven by modern communications and other advances, workers in virtually every sector must now face competitors who live just a mouse-click away in Ireland, Finland, China, India, or dozens of other nations whose economies are growing.”

-Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, 2005.

If enacted, this new high school graduation requirement will serve as a national model to illustrate the importance of online learning and will highlight the critical need for greater relevance to be added to today’s high school curriculum by focusing on teaching and learning strategies common in today’s workplace.

For an update on high school graduation requirement legislation, visit www.michigan.gov/highschool. For more information, contact: Jamey Fitzpatrick, President, Michigan Virtual Education, 3101 Technology Parkway, Ste. G. Lansing, MI 48910, (517)324-5365, jjfitz@mivu.org, www.mivu.org.

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