Academics
Upper School
Global Online Academy
GOA's mission is to reimagine learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society.
In 2014, Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) entered into a partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA). GOA is a not-for-profit consortium of leading independent schools from around the world. GOA offers CCES students the opportunity to learn alongside peers from around the world. GOA courses further enrich the CCES experience by helping students test their passions in ways typically unavailable on a single campus.
Throughout my CCES career, I have taken several Global Online Academy classes, and thoroughly enjoyed them! I have had the opportunity to meet students from across the world, and create meaningful connections with them. The classes expanded my knowledge of the world and allowed me to experience new and exciting learning opportunities. I especially enjoyed my architecture course, as I got to learn about the fundamentals of architecture, create my own building plan, and receive feedback from my teacher and peers. I would recommend these courses to anyone who wishes to dive deeper into their specific interest. It is incredible to meet people all over the globe who share that same passion!
- Eliza Hoffman '23
About Global Online Academy
The mission of GOA is to provide a positive, interactive, and academically rigorous environment for students to learn. GOA offers online courses that connect students to topics they care about, and offer a network that connects those students to peers as passionate as they are. GOA is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Global Online Academy Member Schools
GOA is a nonprofit consortium of more than 137 independent schools representing 31 countries and over 34 states. All GOA courses are taught by teachers who are currently teaching at a GOA member school.
About Global Online Academy's Courses and Teachers
Students take GOA courses for credit at CCES. There are more than 56 semester and year long courses to choose from. GOA course workload and course intensity is equivalent to courses taken on our campus. Unlike many online courses, students are not passive receptors of pre-recorded lectures from their teachers. Instead, students collaborate on challenging and interesting projects with students from around the world. They are also expected to manage their workload and time effectively to support the asynchronous nature of the courses.
GOA maintains excellence through rigorous teacher training, building on the best practices and values of leading independent schools - and by ensuring classrooms stay at a small size that fosters strong teacher-student relationships and student-to-student collaboration and interaction. CCES faculty members are also a part of the esteemed group of GOA Instructors.
With Global Online Academy, teachers and students can share their voice on a global stage, improving learning and enabling the pursuit of individual passions.
NEW! GOA Learning Pathways Certification
Whether you plan on taking one course or several, GOA has courses that can grow your interest in many disciplines. The GOA Learning Pathways Certification is a way for you to dive into a subject you are interested in. If you look in the course catalog you will see the courses available in each Pathway. Beginning with the graduating class of 2024, students seeking to demonstrate depth of interest and expertise in a field of study can pursue one of GOA’s eight pathways to earn a Pathway Certification. When a student earns a Pathway Certification, the certification is highlighted on their GOA transcript, which provides additional context and description of a student’s GOA experience. The GOA-issued transcript includes a list of courses the student has taken and the competencies mastered in those courses as well as Pathway Certification earned. Schools will continue to record grades from GOA courses on the school’s transcript as well.
I took a GOA class because it offered a course that consisted in one of my passions and favorite academic subjects: philosophy, a course that is not available in our school and rarely at any other schools. I am extremely satisfied with everything I learned, which has helped me grow as a student and a thinker. I would recommend GOA particularly on the basis that it offers material that one cannot academically immerse themselves into in a typical school. If someone is curious about a topic or thinks they might want a job in a certain field, a GOA course offers an experience where one can determine if spending time thinking about and applying that topic is truly enjoyable and worth their time later on in life, even if not in the same context. Ultimately, it can help form their intellectual identity. -Tyler Baughcome
Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.