Fostering Student Connection in Middle and High School: The Impact of InScribe at Greater Commonwealth Virtual School
Greater Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) is a public virtual school in Massachusetts that offers a synchronous K-12 educational program with a strong emphasis on providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for students across the state. Recognizing the need to foster student connections beyond traditional in-person settings, Dr. Sarah Jordan, Director of Accountability, and student outreach coordinator, Chris Dillon, observed students utilizing collaboration docs to connect and communicate during live classes. While acknowledging the value of shared docs for collaboration, GCVS also understood the importance of monitoring these interactions to ensure a supportive and respectful space. To address this, GCVS introduced InScribe, a school-sanctioned virtual community platform that allows students to connect with peers for advice, emotional support, and most importantly: a genuine sense of belonging.
The Need for Virtual Communities
Realizing the importance of cultivating authentic connections among students during their shift from traditional brick-and-mortar schools to the virtual realm, GCVS prioritized the establishment of a non-academic space. This was particularly crucial as many students transfer to GCVS after encountering difficulties in their previous educational settings. GCVS also acknowledged that without a designated space, students would resort to creating their own unsupervised channels. "What we wanted," said Dr. Jordan, "was something like a school cafeteria where kids could talk naturally and freely with friends, while adults remained on the periphery, making sure everyone was safe."
The Journey to Creating Virtual Communities
The strong desire among students to connect with peers led GCVS to integrate InScribe virtual communities into the school's learning ecosystem. Upon integration, administrators were pleased with this scalable and self-sustaining student engagement model. The sense of community and encouragement within this space enabled students to find their voices, form genuine friendships, and support one another through difficult times. InScribe also served as a valuable knowledge repository, allowing new students to pick up on earlier conversations, ensuring a smooth integration into the community.
"InScribe has been an amazing space to build a sense of autonomy and empowerment among our students. I've witnessed kids coming out of their shells and learning to trust others, which is crucial for their emotional well-being. It has truly transformed how our virtual school fosters connections and creates a safe environment for our students." - Dr. Sarah Jordan, Director of Accountability, Greater Commonwealth Virtual School
Ensuring Safety and Moderation
While challenges emerged, GCVS actively addressed and successfully overcame them. The school established clear community rules and guidelines to foster respectful communication, encouraging self-policing among students. The flexibility to restrict or remove disruptive posts also played a crucial role in maintaining a positive and supportive environment. ROSI, InScribe’s virtual assistant, helps ensure safe and positive interactions by monitoring posts and detecting inappropriate language or discussions.
Measuring Success and Future Prospects
The success of the communities was evident from the organic growth, prolific engagement, and expressions of emotional connection among students. Looking to the future, GCVS plans to innovate its virtual communities further. Teachers are considering academic spaces, allowing multiple classes to discuss common topics, while students are keen on creating additional channels and flags for specialized interests like art, anime, and hobbies. Moreover, the school continues to embrace new features introduced by InScribe, such as polls, which have become popular among students for engaging in discussions.
The success of Greater Commonwealth Virtual School's digital communities illustrates the transformative impact of fostering peer-to-peer connections in virtual education. By embracing InScribe and its user-friendly, supervised environment, GCVS has empowered students to overcome challenges, grow academically, and form meaningful relationships. Through these virtual communities, GCVS has truly redefined the way students engage, connect, and thrive in the world of virtual learning.
Hear the full story from Sarah and Chris: Building Student Connections and Enhancing Support Using Digital Communities
Learn more about InScribe: www.inscribeapp.com