Choosing classes and deciding which ones would accommodate diverse scheduling needs and promote a positive well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for many Burlingame students. While most chose to participate in the six-hour school day through scheduled Zoom calls, others chose to take either a few or all of their classes asynchronously using Edgenuity through independent studies.

Edgenuity is an online learning resource that teaches a range of courses for students in kindergarten through grade 12, from Advanced Placement to credit recovery classes. Using pre-recorded lectures taught by real teachers and practice activities for each lesson, students learn independently — meaning no Zoom calls and almost no teacher guidance for the class — while also receiving full credit.

The program has been both praised and criticized by parents, teachers and students across the nation, including Burlingame users. Some picked independent studies due to their schedule outside of school, while others work better independently.

Senior Sydney Roncal chose to do independent studies because being on a Zoom call allows for distractions. 

“If I’m in my own room, like, I can go on my phone. I can do [other] stuff. That’s just not going to be productive for me,” Roncal said.

Although Edgenuity’s activities are more interactive than simply watching a teacher talk in a little box on a screen during a Zoom call, the program has received mixed reviews from students. One thing that users dislike about the program is that Edgenuity teaches through pre-recorded lectures, which doesn’t have a source to ask for help.

“I don’t have a real teacher, so, you know…  if I have a question, I can refer to my textbook or I can look up the answer online, which isn’t super great,” Roncal said. 

This leads to students often having to teach themselves the subject from sources outside of Edgenuity due to having no teacher to ask questions concerning topics and lessons with. While Edgenuity covers almost everything needed to pass the course, learning and studying for tests and exams often requires more clarification than offered.

Roncal also said that she wishes she knew which teacher graded her work. Without knowing who graded a certain project or question, she is unable to reach out and ask why she got a certain grade or how she can improve her work. Roncal wishes the program would make comments made by graders mandatory in order to better support the students. 

“It’s frustrating because if I get a 70 on an FAQ and they leave no comment, how am I supposed to improve my effort?” Roncal said. 

Sophomore Emmi Cate, who takes chemistry, English, and Algebra II using Edgenuity, agreed with Roncal.

“I wish there was an easy way to reach out to a teacher that is teaching the subject if you have questions. It’s easy to look up answers online, but sometimes the responses that come up aren’t what you’re really looking for,” Cate said.

Despite the lack of support from teachers, Cate and Roncal are still able to enjoy the flexibility of asynchronous learning. 

“My favorite part is being able to do my classes anywhere. When I have to join Zoom calls I normally want to sit at my desk, but on Edgenuity I can work in the dining room or outside,” Cate said. 

Although Edgenuity has received critiques on a national level, it still holds an important role in learning, serving over four million students according to the Edgenuity website, a few being Burlingame students.