Months ago, Erika Donalds was sitting in an underwater classroom learning about marine life as whales swam over her head.
It wasn't part of some immersive education program in Florida — it was through a virtual reality headset.
Donalds is the founder and CEO of Optima Foundation, a Naples-based charter school organization. Donalds, a Tampa native, is combining her history of charter school administration with new virtual technology to create the state's first-ever virtual reality school.
"When you put it on, the amazing potential of the model hits home," Donalds, a Chamberlain High School alumna, said. "There’s no question it is the best form of virtual learning."
The idea first came to Donalds when Optima Foundation's students, like most other schools across the state, had to pivot to a remote learning platform during the Covid-19 pandemic. But as the schools began to re-open, some parents and students voiced their preference to remain online.
"We were getting calls from parents that were not even enrolled in the program that wanted to enroll since other districts threw something together," Donalds said. "When we discontinued distanced learning and went to in-person, a lot asked for virtual options. There is obviously a demand for a classic, virtual option especially a public option."
The school, like the three other Optima Foundation schools across the nation, will have a "classical" foundation, which focuses on teacher-led instruction and a content-rich curriculum.
There will be roughly 25 students in a class, four days a week, with headsets on from 8 a.m. to noon where they can interact live with their teacher. The remainder of the school day will be asynchronous, in which students will be able to work on their schoolwork at their own pace without the assistance of their parents.
"When they’re in virtual reality, they’re in a VR classroom sitting at a desk and looking at a teacher," Donalds said. "But they can also go to the moon and have a lesson on the moon landing, and go to Ancient Rome and Independence Hall. So, the classroom can become a second teacher by experiencing the learning in other spaces."
The virtual school opens this August, which Donalds hope to target 1,500 students and roughly 70 teachers.
"I think there is a learning curve for the public in how it works, and what it looks like, and once they see it in action they’ll be on board," she said. "We have seen demand where classical education is not available —Hillsborough County is one where they don’t have a classical charter school. But with Florida, we’re far ahead of most other states for most school choices. And it's the perfect place to launch another high-quality option."
