The purpose of this Action Research study is to examine the current teaching methods in the virtual education setting and see how professional ideologies of educators may be influenced when introduced to new knowledge. The current education model heavily favors preparing for standardized tests, which the researcher contends is not an accurate representation to show true academic growth. When it comes to the actual testing, students in a virtual setting are at a severe disadvantage to their brick-and-mortar counterparts due to not being able to test in their native learning environments whist having to balance new testing settings with elevated levels of stress and anxiety which can impact scores. Many of these elements cause students to disengage with learning all together. In order to engage students in their academics, schools must move away from the "teach to the test" approach. With virtual schools in particular, teachers and administrators must design instruction methods that allow students and educators alike thrive in the online medium. Through proper instruction, students will become more engaged and test results will increase as a result. In addition to higher marks on assessments, switching instructional methods to be applied through a constructivist method with a focus on experiential and project-based learning (PBL)/ inquiry-based learning (IBL) will provide students the foundations needed to be able to thrive in the work force once they graduate high school, should they choose not to continue their academics in a university setting. In order to bring about meaningful changes in the virtual middle school, henceforth referred to as VMS, stakeholders (9 VMS middle school staff members) will partake in a seminar from educational leaders from across the country who specialize in implementing experiential and project-based learning within their classrooms and schools. Through interviews, partaking in a seminar from expert panelists, and collaboration between teachers and administration, the researcher feels that instruction can be adapted to provide more genuine learning for the virtual student. Through this study the researcher believes it is possible to for schools to change their culture and instructional practices to meet the needs of the virtual learner and have long term potential to change methodology in all classrooms to provide students the skills needed to thrive in their lives outside of school. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]