We enrolled our 6th and 7th grader for the 2020-2021 year. Customer service signing up was a huge challenge due to demand, I have close to 30 hours into a straight forward enrollment and over 6 hours of cumulative time on hold. Instruction is extremely fragmented. My online bachelors degree program was easier to navigate and locate information on. The curriculum doesn't necessarily follow the teachers instruction and students need to read the assignment in the lesson then sometimes refer to a bulletin board or email to get the final instructions which sometimes conflicts with the lesson. Students also cannot fill out lesson templates online, they need to download and save them, then attach or upload the completed version to their teacher. Sometimes they attach and sometimes upload, this depends on the teacher and leads to failed assignments because of upload or submission errors. My kids have been very discouraged these first weeks. So far the teachers have been good at getting these errors sorted out but this has taken hours of extra time. Some teachers use Microsoft products some use Google, there is no consistency and you must use your own accounts as there are no linked accounts to the school. On average I am receiving 10-12 emails per day, and the information from teachers and admin is fragmented. I spend about 2 hours a day in emails and review and we have hired a tutor to help out 5 hours day to assist them in navigating the software. There is virtually no interaction or instruction with the teachers. Most of the lessons are recorded and students cannot interact or ask questions. Communication is primarily through email which is ineffective. The platform is just a mess, it is like trying to work with Windows 95 in modern day. The supporting tech is at least 5-7 years behind the UI and integration you might expect in modern software. I strongly suggest you go elsewhere.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. I apologize for the delay in responding. The enrollment experience was longer for some families this year due to the huge demand for online school brought on by the pandemic. I regret that we couldn’t offer a speedier enrollment solution for you, and I am sorry that your school year has gotten off to a bumpy start. I would like to put you in touch with someone at the school who can talk with you about your concerns. Can you send me an email at community@connectionsacademy.com so I can locate your account and get you connected with the right person? I also encourage you or your students to reach out to your teachers via phone, webmail or the LiveLesson classroom any time you need support with self-guided lessons. Teachers are available to help every school day – not just on the days when there is a scheduled LiveLesson session. Please feel free to send me an email at the above address if I can help in any other way. ~Kim