CARIBOU, Maine — To meet the ever-changing needs of its students and to stay true to the nature of proficiency-based learning, RSU 39 has opened its doors for their first director of blended learning, which could be you.
“The position deals with online resources and face-to-face instruction,” Danny MacDonald, director of the Caribou Learning Center, said. “It’s not virtual school and it’s not brick and mortar school it’s a blended combination of those.”
The Caribou district is on the hunt for the right applicant who’ll provide services for a large list of student populations.
Students throughout the RSU including alternative high school students, home-schooled students and those who have areas they need to develop will have access to the online curriculum and local teachers, MacDonald said.
“The online curriculum will be available 24/7 – allowing students to have a more flexible schedule,” he explained. This will also leave a door open for students who are ahead in their courses and want to push even further.
“Students who’ve even dropped out to go to work can access the program and take a few courses a semester and continue working towards their high school diploma,” MacDonald added.
The face-to-face component to the program, MacDonald said, is “about maintaining relationships for students and families so they stay engaged. If we can engage home school students, dropout students and at-risk students in the long run it pays for itself.”
The freedom for a student to move at their own pace comes at no cost to them, MacDonald said. “The payback to the community you can’t measure financially.”
The director of blended learning will need administrative experience, and a strong grasp of proficiency-based learning, MacDonald said, is a must.
