General frequently asked questions
We do not offer professional development credit for completion of Virtual Lab School courses to public users at this time. However, we are actively pursuing options for the VLS to support the professional development goals of our public users.
Currently, only individuals who are employed by military child and youth programs are eligible to create a user account. However, the Virtual Lab School content is still available to ALL users, even those without an account.
Military child and youth programs:
The Virtual Lab School does not currently offer completion certificates for individuals who are not affiliated with military child and youth programs.
Educators seeking to utilize VLS resources for noncommercial, educational purposes are welcomed and encouraged to do so! However, we do request that you become familiar with our Terms of Use at www.virtuallabschool.org/legal to ensure your specific intentions around using the VLS comply with these Terms. Additional questions, or requests to use the VLS resources can also be sent to inquiries@virtuallabschool.org.
Issuing a completion certificate is one way of verifying that a user has viewed online content. The Virtual Lab School professional development and resource system engages learners further by embedding interactive learning activities within the online content. By pairing opportunities for reflective practice and supervision with one-on-one interactions between learners and coaches, the VLS seeks to positively impact how professionals approach their work with children and families each and every day.
No formal assessments are currently available; however, each lesson concludes with a brief self-evaluation meant to reinforce learning.
While everyone can access all of the content without a user account, public users will not be able to track or save their progress on the Virtual Lab School site.
Yes! The Virtual Lab School is designed to empower child and youth care and education professionals as they build their knowledge and skills around research-based practices. The VLS was initially created as a professional development and resource system for the more than 30,000 professionals working in child and youth care and education programs run by the U.S. military. The online content of the VLS is also available to the public.
