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E-Evaluations: 'Watching Your Every Move'

Though Douglas J. Horne stands in front of a class full of students every day as a design and technology teacher at a Vermont high school, at different times he also sits before a computer to teach engineering principles to online students.

In his classroom at Essex High School in Essex Junction, Vt., an administrator might observe him a few times a year as part of his evaluation. But in Mr. Horne's online classroom, his actions are logged and recorded and often examined by administrators at the Maynard, Mass.-based Virtual High School Global Consortium, which requires member districts, such as Essex, to supply teachers for its courses. Mr. Horne's salary is paid by the Essex district.

"When you're online, you almost have someone watching your every move, unlike the brick-and-mortar classroom, in which you close your door and you're on your own," Mr. Horne said. In virtual education, "it's all quite visible to your students and your...