Post Secondary Options - Distance Learning
The Medina
County Schools’ ESC works in cooperation with The University of
Akron, the Medina County school districts, and the Summit County
ESC to provide our districts’ students with college coursework that
is available without leaving their high school buildings.
Through a grant from the Ohio Legislature in 1999, The University
of Akron and the Medina County school districts developed the first
education-specific fiber optic distance learning network in Ohio.
Committees designed and built state-of-the-art distance learning
classrooms in each of the county’s high schools and The University
of Akron, while other committees met to design course offerings and
schedules that would be the most beneficial to the students’
needs.
Since the inception of the program, the Medina County Schools’ ESC
has served as the liaison between the school districts and The
University of Akron. Over the past five years, the technology of
the program has been completely revised at no cost to the
districts, and the number of students taking part in the program
has risen to over 400. These are 400 high school students who will
receive free college credits while never leaving their respective
high school. Over 20 courses are offered each year, which could
result in a student earning two years of free college credit prior
to his/her graduation from high school.
All of the distance learning rooms are equipped with the
following:
CODEC for point-to-point and multi-point videoconferencing;
computer with touch sensitive SmartBoard (drives–floppy, CD, DVD,
USB, jump/flash); DVD player; VCR; VHS recorder with instructor and
student audio; document camera; printer; port for laptop
connectivity; and auxiliary audio/video inputs.
