What does a personalised online education really mean for learners at Pearson Online Academy?

One of the biggest benefits of online schooling is the ability to personalise each students’ learning, but what does that actually mean? And how can it be achieved online? 

To personalise is to design or produce something to meet individual's requirements, and at Pearson Online Academy UK Global, we do just that. Our Personalised Performance Learning approach gives EVERY student the best chance to flourish by ensuring they receive the one-on-one, tailored attention they deserve, and it starts from the point at which successful applications are made.  

As each student enters the school, they discuss their strengths, skills, and previous school performance with their teachers, Success Coaches, and parents to help inform and guide the best teaching and personalised online learning approach.  

Such conversations along with assessments and other data are used to identify and evaluate a student’s strengths, weaknesses, and talents to help select courses and create a learning plan based on the student’s individual needs. We uncover skills that may need improvement and look for ways to enhance the student’s learning potential - a practice that continues throughout the school year, where subject testing is used to identify areas of strength and weakness, measure progress, and establish learning goals.  

Because personalising a student’s learning isn’t a one-time process -- it’s ongoing -- students, Success Coaches, parents, and teachers work together to set, review and adjust goals for the student and determine a timeline for accomplishing these individualised learning goals during the school years. And, through regular communication schedules and adjustments to learning plans and timetables as well as electives, teachers, Success Coaches and students are able to collectively ensure individual needs are met.  

Underpinning our Personalised Performance Learning approach is over 20 years of experience supporting online schools to engage and flourish, including Pearson Online Academy US, Connections Academy and Harrow School Online.  

We have specifically created our educational programmes for online learning to ensure that every student is fully engaged in their learning and that our teachers are equipped to bring out the very best in them. Within the structure of a complete school programme, students use the Pearson Online Academy UK Global platform to study from home, joining ‘LiveLesson’ sessions to deepen their understanding with expert teachers and their fellow students across the world. This ‘flipped classroom’ has been proven to increase student engagement and encourage critical thinking, whilst working alongside peers from other countries helps them broaden their understanding of different cultures and build an international network of friends. ​  

Pearson’s online learning platforms are currently being used by over 105,000 students to power their learning.  Students can follow an individual learning pathway, working through high quality, interactive, self-study materials at a pace that suits them, with teachers using LiveLesson sessions, office hours, and other contact time to stretch them where possible and offer more support when required.  

The flexibility of self-paced learning combined with the extracurricular activities and a Success Coach help keep students on track to meet their personal targets and allows them to thrive with their education. By building and managing their own timetables, students receive a personalised experience that gives them control over their learning and fosters independence and self-discipline. 

This approach sets our school apart from the rest and ensures each and every one of students is able to achieve their potential.