Pack your bags, get your passport and get ready to go! In the new World Geography online course, WHRO Education has provided students with a way to explore the world without leaving their hometown. This newly-released course puts students in the role of intern for a cutting-edge digital media company called GEOTREX, and allows them to explore content aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning in fun and exciting ways.

The course includes the study of major physical features and the unique cultural characteristics of each region in order to better understand the relationship between people and their environment, the effect of the distribution of resources on a region, and the factors that influence standard of living. Students examine concrete examples of how geography influences daily life by studying international conflicts and environmental challenges. Activities included in the course involve understanding basic features of each region's culture, and developing a competence in map and globe skills. Throughout each module, they are presented with media-rich lessons, engaging interactivities, varied assignments and real-world authentic assessments. Many of the course assignments involve deeper learning by providing students with the opportunity to learn and practice real-world skills.

Along with a new design and updated content, WHRO has added other features to the World Geography course to make it more accessible to all learners with various learning styles. In addition to printable versions of interactivities, the course now contains closed captioning and ADA compliant transcripts. Course interactivities can be navigated without a mouse using a keyboard, and essential text, buttons and images contained within interactivities have descriptive ALT tags to provide an equitable learning experience.

WHRO Education online courses are created by the organization and then distributed to its 21 owner-member school divisions, as well as licensed to other school divisions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. To date, WHRO Education has produced 26 online courses, as well as an Internet Safety module.

To learn more about WHRO’s online courses, visit whroeducation.org/contact.

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