This year has been a challenging one, without a doubt. Educators everywhere have gone above and beyond to keep students safe and learning in the midst of a global pandemic.
This year, our team published a lot of content to help educators quickly adapt to connecting with students in online environments. This content took a variety of forms, including blog articles, podcasts, webinars, research articles, and more.
Top Article: 23 Team-Building Activities For Staying Connected In A Remote Work Environment
Top Webinar: Simple Strategies for Learning Continuity During School Closures
Top Podcast: SEL During A Pandemic With Lauren Kazee
Top Research Publication: Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning
Top Teaching Tip: Building Student Stamina in Virtual Breakout Rooms
To see a full list of the free resources we released in 2020 to help Michigan schools during the pandemic, check out our Learning Continuity Resources page.
Here's hoping for a better 2021 — where we can take everything we learned in 2020 and apply this experience in a safer, more stable learning environment.
Thank you, educators, for everything you've done this year to support students. We know it's been difficult, but your thoughtfulness, courage, and perseverance in the face of adversity continue to astound us.
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For more than 27 years, Michigan Virtual has partnered with K–12 school districts across Michigan to expand learning opportunities for students and educators alike. Through our high-quality online courses, taught by Michigan-certified, highly qualified teachers, we empower students to learn anytime, anywhere. We also provide affordable, impactful professional development to help educators grow in their craft. Most recently, Michigan Virtual has been at the forefront of innovation and artificial intelligence in education, offering consultation services and professional learning to guide schools in thoughtfully integrating new technologies and learning pathways.
Research indicates that online learners perform better when they have strong onsite mentor support. But mentors need support, too. Drawing on survey responses, this blog examines mentors’ current practices, key challenges, and unmet needs—and what those insights mean for designing more effective professional learning.
In a two-phase pilot across Michigan schools, educators used Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant, to explore how AI might support teaching and learning. Their reflections surfaced both opportunities and challenges. The big takeaway? AI has potential, but only with intentional support.
Cuccolo & Green’s (2025) report highlighted the relationship between students’ assignment submission patterns and final course scores. Given that pacing has important implications for student performance, knowing what assignment submission patterns look like across schools with varying demographics could help prompt early identification and intervention. As such, this blog explores students’ assignment submission patterns based on school-level demographic information.
In this blog, MVLRI researchers synthesize the key findings from two research studies about student assignment submission patterns in Michigan Virtual online courses.
By blending project-based learning with competency-based education, FlexTech aims to provide a personalized path to graduation, meeting both academic standards and students’ personal growth goals.