Online Academy superintendent wins distance education award

Harvey Klamm, superintendent of Liberty University Online Academy, was recently awarded the 2012 Corporation and Distance Education Excellence in Education Award by AdvancED, a worldwide organization with 80,000 schools.

Klamm said the award represented the success of the entire team who work to provide Christian online homeschooling to more than 1,600 students in grades 3-12.

“The Academy has grown because of the hard work of dedicated admissions counselors, academic advisors, Academy teachers and the support of the LU leadership and community,” he said.

Liberty University Online Academy is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED, its parent organization.

Liberty University, the world’s largest Christian university, opened its online academy in Fall 2007 with 23 students. Now in its fifth year, more than 1,600 students are enrolled from all 50 states and 24 countries.

Klamm said the growth is due to the popularity of online homeschooling, giving students more independence and an engaging educational experience.

“Class instruction is formatted on browser-based software that is delivered by Internet services,” Klamm said. “Courses are primarily text driven with various forms of interactive components built into the lessons, such as videos, animation, and interactive review games. The lessons are designed to actively engage students in the learning process.”

He said the program also gives online high school students a competitive edge for college.

“The curriculum is college preparatory in design,” Klamm said, adding that with its dual enrollment program, students can complete college credit before ever graduating high school.

Online Academy graduate Charles Furman earned a year of college credit early.

“I was able to dual enroll, which helped me knock out my first year so when I came to Liberty University, I started as a sophomore,” he said. “Now I only have to take 15 credits a semester to achieve my goal of graduating in three years.”

The program also offers financial benefits through Liberty University’s Dollar-for-Dollar Tuition Scholarship Match. Every dollar spent for a student enrolled in the Online Academy is credited toward undergraduate tuition in a four-year resident program at Liberty University.

Upon completion of high school studies with the academy, students are invited to the Liberty University campus to attend a graduation ceremony alongside thousands of Liberty’s residential and online graduates.