New Survey Reveals That The Teacher-Student Connection is Stronger Online Than In-Person

November 10, 2021

85% of Online Teachers Believe That They Help More Students Individually Than in a Traditional In-Person Setting

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To celebrate National Distance Learning Week, FlexPoint Education Cloud, a part of Florida Virtual School (FLVS) that works with schools and districts across the nation to implement Kindergarten-12^th grade online learning programs, released the results of a new survey revealing that online teachers feel they can better connect with students and parents in an online setting, when compared to in-person instruction – driving increased student success.

While the last school year challenged educators everywhere, it also showed teachers the benefits of virtual learning. In fact, according to the survey that was deployed to FLVS teachers across grades Kindergarten-12, 87% of teachers agree that teaching online allows them to better communicate and connect one-on-one with students when compared to the brick-and-mortar setting.

The results also highlight the importance of involving parents in their children’s schoolwork in meaningful ways, with more than 95% of teachers agreeing that online teaching allows them to communicate more frequently with their student’s parents when compared to in-person. One teacher stated their favorite part of teaching online: “I get to make every single kid feel like they are my only priority while I’m working with them.”

Plus, according to Educators for Excellence’s 2021 Survey of America’s Educators, 67% of teachers learned ways to integrate technology that they plan to use after the pandemic, 54% reported student familiarity with technology improved, and almost half of the teachers surveyed claimed some students thrived in a distance learning setting.

“These survey results emphasize what we’ve known about online learning since our inception more than 20 years ago: when you combine thoughtful, empathetic, and results-oriented teaching staff with effective curriculum, students will thrive,” said Dr. Louis Algaze, President and Chief Executive Officer of Florida Virtual School. “Students should always have access to virtual learning – whether through a fully online or a hybrid option – because it gives them the choice to determine what works best for themselves and their families.”

Additional survey findings include:

• When compared to teaching experiences in a brick-and-mortar setting:
  • 85% of teachers believe that they help more students individually in an online learning environment
  • 83% of teachers believe that teaching online gives them more resources and tools to help their students succeed
  • 83% of teachers believe that teaching online increases their ability to help students succeed
  • 76% of teachers agree that teaching online has decreased their administrative workload, allowing them to spend more time helping students
  • 73% of teachers agree that teaching online allows them to better understand their student’s true learning needs

The survey also included an open-ended question that asked teachers about their favorite part of teaching online. The top response from the online teachers centered around the one-on-one connection they’re able to make with their students and families.

FlexPoint is a trademark of Florida Virtual School, offering online education resources to schools and districts around the nation. Its services include more than 180 engaging and effective digital courses that can be customized to various state standards and seamlessly implemented across a variety of online platforms, extensive staff training and professional development, and unparalleled customer service support to ensure that educators are getting what they need, when they need it.

For more information about FlexPoint Education Cloud, please visit www.FlexPointEducation.com. 

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted by Florida Virtual School in August 2021 and was deployed to teachers of all grade levels, including FLVS Full Time, FLVS Flex, and FlexPoint Virtual School teachers. The 12-question survey was comprised of three demographic questions and 9 questions on teachers’ experience with online teaching versus in-person. Question types included Likert ratings and single-and multi-select multiple choice. Of those invited, 1,166 teachers completed all questions on the survey. Analyses of responses revealed important insights about how teachers feel about teaching online and the impact it has on student success.