How Pearson Online Classroom Works: the Connections Academy Learning Experience

February 26, 2025 by Valerie Kirk

4 min to read

An online school student sitting at a desk wearing headphones and taking part in an online lesson on their laptop

While no two days are alike in online school, the one constant of every school day at Connections Academy is the Online Classroom. Our learning portal is the hub of the Connections Academy learning experience, where students can check their grades, email teachers, attend live classes, connect with classmates, and submit assignments.

What Platform Does Connections Academy Use?

Connections Academy is part of Pearson, one of the largest education companies in the world. Pearson Online Classroom is the platform designed to support the students at Connections Academy and Pearson Online Academy.

The platform is designed to be intuitive and user friendly regardless of skill level and can be accessed through a stable internet connection on a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

What Is Pearson Online Classroom?

Connections Academy-supported schools engage students through the Pearson Online Classroom, which includes many of the tools that help support students throughout their school day.

Student Planner

The student planner lists all of the upcoming lessons and assignments that students need to complete that semester for their classes. By having all this information in one place, students and their Learning Coaches can arrange their daily and weekly schedules based on the course load.

To-Do List

The to-do list helps students and Learning Coaches stay on top of important things that need their attention, including logging a student’s daily attendance and reminders about any overdue lessons and assignments.

Webmail

Webmail is a secure internal email system that students can use to communicate with teachers and staff, and teachers use to connect with students and provide feedback on assignments and assessments. Students should check their webmail every day for important updates and reminders.

Grade Book

Students can track their grades on assignments and assessments in the grade book.

Message Boards

A student can belong to multiple message boards, which are used by teachers to share course announcements, resources, and live instruction recordings. Extracurricular clubs also use message boards to share information and help students stay connected.

LiveLessons

LiveLessons are synchronous classes taught by teachers. During live instruction, teachers reinforce challenging concepts and motivate students to become active learners by participating in activities, asking questions, and collaborating with their peers. Students can also go into breakout rooms with other classmates for small group work during a LiveLesson.

Events

Students can find information about LiveLessons and upcoming appointments in the events area.

My Teachers

All of the student’s teachers are listed in the My Teachers section. Students can easily contact teachers for extra support, questions about an assignment, and more.

Virtual Library

The virtual library includes the school handbook, the Connections Academy Honor Code, information about clubs and activities, and other school-related resources.

A Day in the Life of a Connections Academy Student

Students and Learning Coaches can work together to create their ideal schedule, but it is important to establish an online school daily routine. Having a routine will help students be more successful in their studies.

Students should start their day by logging into the Pearson Online Classroom and checking their to-do list, student planner, and webmail. This will help them know what lessons, assignments, and assessments they need to complete. They can also see if they are behind on any lessons and if their teacher has sent them any feedback.

After students and their Learning Coach check these areas, students can begin their lessons by accessing the class and reading the lesson guide. If the class has a LiveLesson scheduled, students can attend that directly on the platform. If they missed a LiveLesson or would like to revisit the lesson, they can find a recording of it on the message board for that class.

When a lesson is complete, students can submit assignments through the platform. They can also take any required assessments.

If they need any support or additional resources, they can email their teacher through webmail or ask questions on the message board. They can also look in the virtual library.

Students should also get in the habit of checking the message boards that they belong to every day for updates from their teachers and from any extracurricular clubs that they participate in.

They can end their school day by logging out of the platform.

Learning Coaches should log in daily to record attendance and monitor student grades and progress.

Sample Daily Schedules

Students should spend time every day during the school week on their lessons. How much time a student spends studying online is based on their student’s grade level and course load:

Elementary school: approximately 15–30% of their school day
Middle school: approximately 50–75% of their school day
High school: approximately 80–90% of their school day

Even though many lessons are not completed fully online, it’s still important to log into the Pearson Online Classroom every day.

Connections Academy has more sample schedules to help students and learning coaches build the schedule that would work best for them.

Learn More about Pearson Online Classroom and Enroll

Connections Academy offers guides and tips for enrolled families on how to use the Pearson Online Classroom in Learning Coach Central.

If your student is not enrolled in online school yet, you can learn more about the Pearson Online Classroom by requesting an eGuide and attending an information session.