
Hamden Hall is pleased to be among leading independent schools from around the world in offering online courses as a member of the Global Online Academy. This not-for-profit organization offers top quality online courses that go beyond the confines of the traditional school curriculum. Course offerings include Bioethics, Neuropsychology, Game Theory, Medical Problem Solving, Computational Thinking, and Introduction to Investments, to name just a few. All courses are taught by gifted teachers drawn from the faculties of member schools.
We chose to join the Global Online Academy because of the quality of its programs and the similarity of our goals. Hamden Hall's Vision Statement is rooted in our zeal for excellence and our desire to create cultural, communal, and global citizenship in our graduates. The Global Online Academy uses 21st century learning skills as a means of connecting students with teachers and peers with a wide range of cultural perspectives, teaching skills that support students in becoming creative, flexible, proactive learners who can communicate and work effectively with peers from other states and around the world. As Helen Barnstable, Hamden Hall's Director of Curriculum and Instruction notes: "The more I researched ways to bring online courses into our curriculum, the more it became obvious that the Global Online Academy was the perfect fit for us as a school and a community."
At Hamden Hall, the opportunity to take one of these online courses is being offered to qualified juniors and seniors who may apply to take a course in lieu of a traditional elective. The Global Online Academy makes the final decision about which students are accepted, structuring each class to include geographical diversity. The connections created through the use of interactive online tools ensure that each class brings students and teachers together in such a way as to create a diverse, intellectually challenging learning environment.
"The Global Online Academy opens up doors of opportunity for our students that are not available through the traditional classroom," says Head of School Bob Izzo. "We are excited to be able to fulfill our mission in collaboration with this superb group of educators."