“Prince of Peace College Preparatory has to be creative in meeting the academic needs of our students. Technology is one way we can offer a class that would not otherwise be available to our students,” says Sharon Roling, director of student services and campus ministry.
For six years, Prince of Peace Prep has offered physics online. The class is taught by Terry Frisch out of Johnston. Prince of Peace students attend class in the school’s ICN (Iowa Communications Network) room, where they can see, hear and even talk with Frisch two times a week. The other three days the class meets in the computer lab for independent learning and to complete assignments. Students also work in groups for lab work.
Physics has traditionally been a junior class at Prince of Peace Prep. Since Frisch is not in the room with the students, Prince of Peace teacher Katharine Atkinson acts as a coach to keep students on task and help them use resources.
Frisch teaches physics online to classes in many schools across the state of Iowa. He is extremely accessible to the students through classroom time, e-mail, and Adobe Connect. Frisch even comes to each of his schools across the state a couple times a year.
“Physics can be a tough subject for some students. Having it online challenges them a little more,” Roling stated. “Besides learning the principles of physics, our students are experiencing 21st century learning opportunities that they will surely see, if not in college, then in the workplace.
“We are grateful to Iowa Learning Online, which offers yet another vehicle for the school to prepare our students for the 21st century.”
