Wittenberg Academy operates on a trimester schedule. Trimesters are 12 weeks in length for a total of 180 days.
Michaelmas Term: September 4, 2012- November 21, 2012
Christmas Term: November 26, 2012- March 1, 2013 (Christmas break: December 22, 2012- January 6, 2013)
Easter Term: March 11, 2013- May 31, 2013 (Spring break: March 2-10; Easter break: March 28- April 1; no class Memorial Day)
Wittenberg Academy provides classes via asynchronous online delivery. Simply, classes are not live. We have chosen this method of delivery for several reasons.
Flexibility: Since students do not need to log in at a certain time each day, families can set their own schedules. Especially for families supplementing their own homeschool curriculum with classes from Wittenberg Academy, this delivery method can be particularly convenient.
Master teachers: The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is blessed to have extremely talented and passionate teachers in her midst. Asynchronous delivery allows Wittenberg Academy to bring the God-given talents of these individualsfrom all over the country into one place to serve our students.
Accessibility: Wittenberg Academy students are not limited by location, timezone, or Internet connection speed. A student with access only to dial-up Internet is just as able to participate in classes as a student with high-speed Internet.
Depth of processing: Research has shown that asynchronous and synchronous delivery provide different affordances for students. Synchronous delivery's strengths are discussing less complex issues, getting acquainted, and planning tasks. Conversely, asynchronous delivery's strengths are reflecting on complex issues and flexibility. In keeping with the mission of Wittenberg Academy (providing high quality Classical Lutheran education), we chose asynchronous delivery so as to afford all students the opportunity to deeply process complex issues as they learn how to live in the faith of their baptism as they love and serve their neighbor.
Multiple ways of interacting: Asynchronous delivery does not mean lack of interaction. In fact, students tend to interact with more quality and quantity with their teachers and fellow students in asynchronous classes than synchronous classes. Students and teachers can interact via discussion boards, wikis, emails, etc. Teachers can provide content via readings and audio or video presentations. Teachers can even bring in "guest lecturers" from places such as Issues, Etc. without having to pay for airfare and hotel!
Celebrate God's gifts: Scripture teaches us that each member of the body is equally important. Certainly there are different functions for each part, but that does not negate a part's value. The same is true at Wittenberg Academy. God has made each student unique in his own way, but who we are is a gift of God worth celebrating! Each student's voice has equally strong representation in an asynchronous class, regardless of whether the student tends toward extroversion or introversion.