Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute (AVLI) was introduced to Jesuit for the first time this year.
AVLI is an online Catholic Education program that allows for college preparatory education to students nationwide.
AVLI has an extensive number of course options, classes that are either not taught at Jesuit or classes that students show interest in. Jesuit has also found classes that can be offered to sophomores that originally had limited elective choices.
“We wanted to try and find classes that we could offer to sophomores because sophomore electives are somewhat limited,” Vice Principal Ms. Hagelgans said.
Some of the courses that AVLI offers are AP European History, AP Environmental Science, AP African American Studies, Engineering Principles, Accounting, Intro to Business, Genocide in the Holocaust, Intro to Veterinary Careers, ASL 3, Computer Game Development, Medical Terminology, and Career Exploration.
Because the classes are self-motivated, there is a GPA requirement for students to take an AVLI class, as there is usual homework, class work, and tests that the student is responsible for completing without teacher guidance.
“We wanted to ensure that we were providing a space in a student's schedule that was focused on [a time where you can do the AVLI work],” Hagelgans said.
Many of the classes have a Zoom component once a week. Many of the teachers part of the AVLI program are from the East Coast, making some of the Zoom meetings outside of the prep period assigned to students.
Because the AVLI program is new to Jesuit, there are still updates being made to make the best environment for students.
“One of the classes needed a computer to be able to do some of the work, [we got] a laptop cart [so students who needed it could have a computer],” Hagelgans said.
Now with the idea of how AVLI works at Jesuit, they’re starting an orientation at the beginning of the year to give the expectations and how the classes work for students.
As Jesuit grows with the AVLI program, there is still a lot of work to be done to make the program worthwhile for the students.
Madi Lukaseiwicz, a senior at Jesuit, took Intro to Business to AVLI. Her experience was a work in progress. She mentioned the struggle of electronics and being able to operate the assignments and the website.
“I think the hardest part was we used a webpage to do assignments and it was hard to navigate,” Lukaseiwicz said.
Lukasiewicz recommends shooting your shot if you’re interested in one of the classes that are offered.
“You just have to be self-motivated enough to keep up and keep tabs on assignments,” Lukaseiwicz said.
Another senior, Emma Bennett, had a similar experience working with AVLI. Bennett took the Intro to Business and Entrepreneurship course last semester.
The majority of the coursework was group projects, working with other students across the country, meaning different time zones.
“Within the randomly assigned groups, we had to navigate timing and scheduling issues with little instruction from course teachers. Even within the group projects, there was a lot of individual responsibility,” Bennett said.
But with this experience, Bennett was able to learn how to manage her time wisely and be proactive in her learning.
“If you are a self-motivated and productive person, I would definitely recommend taking an AVLI course,” Bennett said.
As AVLI continues to expand for students, Jesuit will grow with the program, making a comfortable learning environment for students.
