 NCSSM Online is a unique tuition-free program of online learning blended with real-time relationships and on-site residential activities. This exceptional two-year hybrid learning experience gives students a unique blend of connections. Using state-of-the-art technology and a dynamic online learning environment, this program is greatly enhanced by featuring a residential summer experience, as well as on-campus weekends throughout the school year. These residential weekends provide time for collaborative classroom work, labs, field trips, and the kind of bonding that creates a real sense of community. The residential weekends are by far the funnest part of the program. You get to come here and meet these people who normally would just be like a name on a buddy list, but then you actually get to put a face to the name. You can even call people, I text people regularly that I know from my online classes. We're just more comfortable with each other and it kind of eliminates the awkwardness. Because we're more used to each other and we kind of got a sense of each other's personalities, you learn just more about them than just sitting there and reading what they type. Designed to expand the NCSSM academic experience beyond the boundaries of the Durham campus, this innovative online program offers a host of rigorous honors or college-level courses. These specialized courses are taught by experienced NCSSM faculty and feature the same challenging curriculum offered in the NCSSM residential program. The courses we're taking are exceptional, I mean they're difficult, they're stimulating, they're courses that you don't really have much of an opportunity to take in many other places. The innovative use of technology and communication tools create a seamless learning environment. Your teacher can talk to you, you can talk to your teacher and the whole class is there. There's an interactive whiteboard, so like the teacher can work out a problem there in front of you and you can work out the problem also. You have an ability to raise your hand online and there's a modicon so you can say I'm smiling or I'm frowning or I'm totally confused. Through NCSSM online I really have the best of two different worlds, I can have these amazing courses and I can still have my music, marching band, research, friends. This is the way a lot of education will be taking place in the near future and so I feel like a pioneer and I know the students feel that same way as well.