Free World U is a new approach to instruction and offers better ways to assess student
understanding. The methods used by Free World U will give students the freedom to
set their own schedules, learn at their own pace, and be evaluated in a way that
will not cause them anxiety.
What is the difference between the free version and the credit version?
How do I sign up for either version?
How much is tuition for Free World U?
What if I can’t afford the monthly tuition?
Do I pay by the course or the year?
What does my tuition pay for?
Can I start right away?
If I have trouble logging in, should I just register again?
What happens if I can’t remember my password?
How can I change my password?
How can I retrieve my username?
What is the most common cause of problems logging on?
How do I enter my date of birth on the application?
Can I get a high school diploma from Free World U?
Will I be able to get a verification letter stating that I am enrolled
in your school?
What does it mean when an online school is accredited?
Is Free World U accredited?
How do I access the flashcards (in other words, the teaching program)?
How do I pick up where I left off on flashcards?
Do you have a tutorial that walks you through the whole process?
Do you have any proof that your program works?
Are Students tested to make sure that they are learning the material
presented?
Will I have to buy books and other supplies for Free World U?
Is Free World U accepted in my state?
Why should I choose Free World U over other online schools?
How is Free World U different than other schools?
Are flashcards only used as a method for memorizing facts?
How do you handle the need for students to become proficient writers?
Will I need special hardware or software to attend Free World U?
Are there time limits for completing this program?
How long has Free World U existed?
How do I ask a question or discuss a concern?
What do I do if I see a problem with a flashcard?
Why don’t the topics you teach in a certain grade match what my school
district teaches that year?
Will young children be able to use the site?
Is there a way to track what my child does while on the site?
How does the Daily Journal work?
Is Free World U for children only?
Will my child be required to take a standardized test at the end of the
school year?
How will students be graded at Free World U?
What is the difference between the free version
and the credit version?
- The free version provides the entire flashcard learning program. The credit version
adds tests, a parent dashboard that shows at a glance what the student has accomplished,
transcripts, administrative reports, certificates of completion, a writing program,
highly qualified teacher support, and a high school diploma.
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How do I sign up for either version?
- The instructions can be found under New Students in the main menu on any page. Hover
your mouse over this menu and click on the drop downs starting at the top. You sign
up for either version in the same way. At the end of the sign-up sheet there is
a place to indicate your choice of the free or credit versions.
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How much is tuition for Free World U?
- Tuition for the credit version of Free World U is $90 per month.
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What if I can’t afford the monthly tuition?
- You can apply for financial assistance by clicking
here.
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Do I pay by the course or the year?
- The $90 monthly fee gives access for one student to any subject in any school grade
level that we offer. Many students coming from a public school background will need
to review materials from lower grades. For example, a child might do fourth grade
math, ninth grade geography, and seventh grade social studies.
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What does my tuition pay for?
- Access to the full curriculum of Free World U 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Tests and an automatic system that ensures that the students are making necessary
progress. This is reflected on a dashboard that allows parents to view a graphical
display of their student’s mastery in less than a minute per week.
- Constant access to an ongoing progress report that shows details of what you have
done and what you still need to do.
- Access to any help you might need with your lessons by phone or e-mail by a highly
qualified teacher.
- Year round enrollment.
- Access to a full academic curriculum based on state standards and an exciting new
Life Skills curriculum that will prepare you for a productive and rewarding life.
Click here to read about our Life Skills curriculum.
- Technical support for any issues that might arise.
- Transcripts, certificates of completion, detailed administrative reports required
by some states, credit toward a high school diploma.
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Can I start right away?
- Yes. Because of the unique nature of our program, you can start anytime and stop
anytime.
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If I have trouble logging in, should I just register
again?
- No, do not register multiple times. Please follow the FAQs as well as the prompts
on the login screen if you can’t remember your password or are having an issue logging
in. You can access the login screen, by clicking on the login link in the upper
right corner of every page. If it says logout, then you are already logged in.
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What happens if I can’t remember my password?
- You can have our site automatically assign you a new password and send it to you
at your registered email address by entering your email address and clicking the
‘Send Password’ button on the login page or by clicking
here.
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How can I change my password?
- Click on Account under Registered Students on the menu bar. Enter and re-type your
new password in the two password fields. Click ‘Save.’ Both parents and the student
should know about the change.
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How can I retrieve my username?
- Click on login in the upper right-hand corner of any page. This will take you to
another webpage that will allow you to retrieve your username.
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What is the most common cause of problems logging
on?
- Not using the proper User ID and passwords. Write down your User ID and Password
in a place where you will not lose them. The system will tell you if you use an
incorrect User ID or password. Parents with multiple children often get these mixed
up. You can retrieve them by using the prompts on the login screen, accessible by
clicking on the login link in the upper right corner.
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How do I enter my date of birth on the application?
- After you have retyped your email address into the corresponding box of the application,
press the Tab button on your keyboard (located on the left-hand side). Your cursor
will move to the Date of Birth box, and a calendar will automatically pop up. Click
once on the year at the top of the calendar to have access to more year choices.
Click twice to have access to years by decade. Use the arrows at the top of the
calendar to navigate to the proper year of your birth. Click on the year, then the
month, and finally the day of your birth.
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Can I get a high school diploma from Free World
U?
- Yes, if you are a credit student. We do require that our credit students transferring
from another high school attend Free World U for at least two full school years
before receiving a diploma. Free users will not receive diplomas or any other documentation.
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Will I be able to get a verification letter stating
that I am enrolled in your school?
- Yes, as part of the credit program, Free World U will supply you with a letter of
verification stating that you have enrolled for our school. Those using the free
program will not be eligible for verification letters.
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What does it mean when an online school is accredited?
- It means that you will get credit for all the work you do at Free World U just as
if you were in a traditional school. Click here
for an explanation of the accreditation process and what it means to you.
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Is Free World U accredited?
- Yes. Free World U is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.
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How do I access the flashcards (in other words,
the teaching program)?
- Click on Flashcard Index in the main menu. Choose a school by clicking on it. This
will take you to the various years and subjects within each year. Click on the subject
within the year that you are interested in. In our program, the grade level isn't
terribly important. The emphasis is on learning, and you are not confined to a particular
grade level. Course content is organized into five levels. Schools contain years.
Years contain subjects. Subjects contain topics. Topics contain subtopics. Subtopics
contain flashcards. You simply drill down to the thing you are interested in.
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How do I pick up where I left off on flashcards?
- Click on the Last Viewed Flashcard, located in the main menu. If you have registered
for either the free version or the Credit version and are logged in, this will take
you to the last flash card you viewed. The system remembers you as an individual
student.
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Do you have a tutorial that walks you through
the whole process?
- Yes. In the main menu, hover your mouse over New Students. Click on tutorial in
the dropdown menu.
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Do you have any proof that your program works?
- Yes. We recently did a controlled study and found that on average, students learn
about seven times faster than those using classroom methods, retained the information
longer, and had better critical thinking skills.
- Students with learning disorders did particularly well. Click
here to read the results of the research study.
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Are Students tested to make sure that they are
learning the material presented?
- Yes. Tests are part of the credit program. The test are designed and implemented
in a way that makes them a normal, stress free part of the learning process. Click
here to read an explanation of our testing procedure.
- Free World U’s testing methods are based on mastery learning. Students do not move
on to new material until they completely understand what they have learned. Click
here to read an explanation of how our testing
software works.
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Will I have to buy books and other supplies for
Free World U?
- With our innovative flashcard program you will not need textbooks.
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Is Free World U accepted in my state?
- Yes. We have 30,000 registered students in 50 states and 96 countries.
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Why should I choose Free World U over other online
schools?
- Our program is an innovative approach to learning that allows you to learn an average
of seven times faster than traditional methods. Click
here for a research report confirming this.
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How is Free World U different than other schools?
- The heart of our approach to learning is the fact unit. Everything is broken down
into the smallest units of knowledge possible and presented using illustrated electronic
flashcards. Things are made so simple that we rarely get questions concerning the
course content.
- Students progress through our flashcards, eliminating each fact unit as it is learned.
- Our program has been designed with a built-in review system designed to ensure that
students will remember the content for many years.
- In addition to our standards based academic curriculum, we offer a Life Skills curriculum
that has been designed to prepare students for a fulfilling life in the present
and beyond school.
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Are flashcards only used as a method for memorizing
facts?
- No. Flashcards are an efficient delivery method for all types of thought processes
and higher critical thinking.
- They are used to sort subject matter that is mastered from that which is not. Students
eliminate the flashcards as they master the information they contain.
- Some facts must be memorized, and flashcards work well for this. They also work
for all levels of problem solving and abstract thinking.
- Daily writing assignments and other activities will augment the use of flashcards.
See A Week in the Life of a Free World U Student by clicking
here.
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How do you handle the need for students to become
proficient writers?
- Free World U credit students will have daily writing assignments. These assignments
will be based on the grade level of the student, topics being studied, different
types of writing, and the mechanics of writing. Samples of the student’s writing
will be periodically checked by a Free World U staff member to make sure that the
student is staying on track.
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Will I need special hardware or software to attend
Free World U?
- No. A computer with Internet access and a viable email address are all you will
need.
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Are there time limits for completing this program?
- Free World U students can set their own pace.
- Our students find that they are usually able to finish required subjects much faster
than in a traditional school setting. Most students will be able to finish all required
classes in a much shorter time period than with traditional methods.
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How long has Free World U existed?
- Free World U began in 2002. Click here to read about
our history.
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How do I ask a question or discuss a concern?
What do I do if I see a problem with a flashcard?
- Each flashcard has a ‘Send Feedback’ link. If you see a way that a flashcard can
be improved, please tell us. If you aren't logged in when you send us feedback,
we won’t be able to reply to you.
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Why don’t the topics you teach in a certain grade
match what my school district teaches that year?
- The curriculum content taught in public schools varies from state to state. This
should not be a problem for you because you can jump around from year to year in
our program. If you are using our system exclusively, it doesn't matter because
we are a private school.
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Will young children be able to use the site?
- Initially, we suggest that parents work with their children (no matter what the
age) so that they can get a feel for it and see how their children are adapting
to it. Once children get the feel of the site they will likely be able to use the
site on their own. We have a feature that allows cards to be read aloud to students
via your computer speakers. Look for an icon on the left of each flash card that
looks like a gray loudspeaker. Click on it to have the flashcard read aloud. For
very young children learning to read, we suggest that you supplement our program
with that found at http://www.starfall.com.
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Is there a way to track what my child does while
on the site?
- Yes. If your student is enrolled in the credit program, you can access a report
of his or her activities through the Parent Dashboard, located
here.
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How does the Daily Journal work?
- We believe that teaching children to be competent writers is an important part of
our program. Read about how our Daily Journal works
here.
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Is Free World U for children only?
- Free World U can be used by people of any age who wish to learn. Our program is
used by people in other countries as a tool for learning English. It can also be
used to help study for tests of many types, such as the GED, ACT, or state required
standardized tests.
- The unique nature of our program and the completely open curriculum make it an adaptable
tool which can be used by many people for a variety of purposes.
- Free World U offers adults who wish to obtain their high school diploma a way to
do it at their own pace. We are happy to accommodate adults who have responsibilities
and schedules which make it difficult to attend regular schools. That is not an
issue with Free World U.
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Will my child be required to take a standardized
test at the end of the school year?
- The rules for standardized testing vary from state to state. Check with your local
school district to learn what rules apply to you.
- The Homeschool Legal Defense Association website is a good source of information
for parents to learn the laws of each state concerning testing and other rules applying
to non-traditional schooling. You can access the website
here.
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How will students be graded at Free World U?
- Free World U’s Credit program is based on mastery. In other words, the student will
not move on until he has a 100 percent understanding of the material covered. Therefore,
when a Credit student has mastered a subtopic, (completed all flashcards and exams)
he will receive an A. Until that time, the grade for the subtopic will be an I for
incomplete. Students using the free program will not be graded.
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