The following is a sponsored post with Edison Learning. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
My oldest son is entering his junior year of high school. As such, we're always on the lookout for elective courses that he can add to his schedule and transcript. Edison Learning offers eCourses for middle and high school students. And at the time of my writing this, they have 22 elective courses available.
Quick Overview
Program: Edison Learning
Course: Aeronautics and Space Travel
Religious Perspective: Secular
Format: Online
Grades: 9th - 12th
Price: varies; options include subscription (starting at $45/m) to a one time payment (starting at $250 for 1 semester eCourse)
Career eCourses
There are some excellent choices available in the career eCourse section on the Edison Learning site. From AI and dentistry to finance and entrepreneurship, we really like the breadth of careers covered. They even offer six certification courses, three of them for Adobe: InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. From what I've read in the news, pretty much ALL of the courses are for career paths that are in demand.
My son and I looked over the options and we had a hard time choosing a course because so many of them looked really interesting. But we finally narrowed it down to three choices:
- Drones: Remote Pilot Certification Course
- Augmented and Virtual Reality Applications
- Aeronautics and Space Travel
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| Taken a couple of years ago during his first flight. |
Because my son is in Civil Air Patrol and is working towards becoming a pilot someday, we decided to start with Aeronautics and Space Travel. He loves learning about space, too, so this seemed like it really just fit him best. When he finishes the course, he'll probably follow up with one of the other two.
How it works
Once you register for a class, you'll receive an email with your login instructions. My son's course was self-paced so we simply added it to his schedule and he logs in on the days he takes Aeronatics, and is taken to his dashboard on the platform. From there, he starts his lessons.
My son likes the presentation. His Aeronautics eCourse isn't a live class; it's all recorded so that he can work at his own pace. There are 11 units in all. My son goes to his dashboard and then clicks on "Learning" in the top nav bar. It takes him to the units and he clicks on the lesson. So far, each lesson begins with a video, followed by a reading assignment, and then a "Concept Check" activity, which may be a short answer or discussion comment.
He can also pull up the video transcripts if he so chooses. I know some students do better reading the material rather than just watching it on video.
That top nav bar also includes eight other clickable options:
- Report Card
- Announcements
- Course usage dashboard (this is great!)
- Documents
- Members
- Goals
- and, of course, Home
What my son likes
My son likes the topics that are covered. He loves learning about both flying and space. At first, he wasn't sure he'd learn anything he hasn't already learned in Civil Air Patrol. But to his surprise, there has been a lot of new information. So for him, it is engaging and worth his time.
He also likes the presentation format. A video, followed by reading, followed by some sort of activity (short answer, discussion, etc.). And he says the platform is easy to navigate. 
What I love about it
The part I love the best is that this is an actual class that will benefit him in his present career choice. My son's 16. I can't be 100% certain that he'll become a pilot, but I know he's been focused on that for a few years now and we are encouraging it as we know that it pays well, is something he seems to enjoy, and there's a huge demand for pilots. Over the next decade 80,000 pilots are expected to retire. Airlines are recruiting like crazy.
Up to now, Civil Air Patrol has been the only resource we've found that is nurturing his interest and will actually help him achieve his pilot's license. This eCourse was like a gift to us when we learned about it. Everything he learns about aeronautics is not only increasing his curiosity, but something tangible he can use and apply to his future career in aviation.
I also love that the course is self-paced and so my kid can go as fast or as slow as he needs or wants. If he has extra time on a day that the course isn't assigned, he can hop over there and do a lesson. It's a great fit for our family.
Price
There are two options available to families. You can either sign up for a monthly subscription or just purchase access to one semester eCourse with a one-time payment.
The pricing plans are as follows:
Monthly Subscriptions
Basic: 49.99 a month for access to one course
Standard: 84.99/mo. for access to two courses
Premium: 124.99/mo. for access to three courses
One-Time Payment
If you would prefer to just pay up front for access to one course for a semester, you can totally do so. Prices start at $250 and depend on the complexity of the eCourse.
But keep an eye out for discount codes. This past summer, Edison Learning offered the first month of lessons free for families that subscribed. That's an awesome deal!
If you are looking for some excellent eCourses that allow your child to explore career paths - maybe they know what they want to do for a living...or maybe they don't! - then go and take a look at Edison Learning's career eCourse section!
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