What Do You Study in an Online Summer School?

Many people assume what you study in an online summer school must be a watered-down version of the real thing. At Immerse, that’s the farthest thing from the truth.

Our online summer school offers 20+ subjects through the Online Research Programme. Plus, the TED Virtual Summer School lets you develop public speaking and communication skills, so you study what genuinely interests you.

In this guide, we’ll cover how our Online Research Programme and TED Virtual Summer School work, what you can expect to study in each, and how to choose the right fit for you.

Let’s get right into it. 

Key Takeaways

• Immerse offers two distinct online summer school formats: the Online Research Programme (1:1 tutoring) and the TED Virtual Summer School (live cohort sessions).
• The Online Research Programme has no fixed syllabus; your research project is shaped entirely around your chosen subject, such as Mathematics, Psychology, or Law.
• The Online Research Programme runs on 10 or 15 total contact hours, is open to ages 13 to 18, and ends with an assessed research paper.
• The TED Virtual Summer School is a fixed two-week programme for ages 14 to 18, combining daily live sessions with self-paced learning on TED’s platform.
• Accreditation options for the Online Research Programme include UCAS points, US College Credit, and publication in an independent research journal, depending on the option chosen.
• Both formats build genuinely different skills: independent research and subject-specific critical thinking through the Online Research Programme, and communication and delivery through the TED Virtual Summer School.

What Is an Online Summer School?

An online summer school lets you study a chosen subject in depth through structured tutoring, delivered entirely over video call, without travelling anywhere. At Immerse, this takes two forms. 

Our Online Research Programme pairs you 1:1 with an Oxford, Cambridge, or Ivy League tutor for 10 or 15 hours, built entirely around your chosen research topic. And our TED Virtual Summer School, which runs as a two-week, live cohort programme for ages 14 to 18, with daily two-hour sessions held at set times to suit different time zones. 

Both formats replace the physical classroom with real expert guidance, but they differ in structure, group size, and pace. One is personalised and independent, while the other is collaborative and live, giving you two genuinely different ways to study online. 

Mathematics

Online

Participants will engage with complex problems in a...

Online Research Programme

Provides subject study and academic research project development. Suitable for students looking to enhance academic research and writing skills.

Ages: 13-18

Communication & Public Speaking

Online

Develop and share ideas from anywhere in the...

TED Summer School

Ages: 14-18

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What Do You Study in Immerse’s Online Research Programme?

In our Online Research Programme, you can choose from over 20 subjects, ranging from Mathematics and Psychology to Law, Biology, and Computer Science. This gives you the freedom to explore the academic pathway that genuinely interests you.

Contrary to a fixed syllabus, what you study in our Online Research Programme depends entirely on the research focus you choose. Your tutor shapes each session around your specific topic rather than a set curriculum.

Here are some example topics you can explore in our Mathematics and Psychology programmes.

Example Topics in Our Online Mathematics Programme

The topics below are examples of what you can study, not a fixed list, since your Mathematics research project is shaped around the areas that interest you most.

• Set Theory: Learn how sets form a foundation for wider mathematical ideas. This helps you understand how concepts can be grouped, compared, and structured.
• Probability: Explore uncertainty, independence, games of chance, and counting problems, including examples that challenge what may seem obvious at first.
• Integration: Study how integration helps calculate areas, volumes, and more complex mathematical spaces, while building stronger confidence with calculus.
• Matrix Calculus: Understand matrices, linear systems, transformations, and the Gauss-Jordan method, with links to geometry and scientific problem-solving.
• Real Analysis: Explore sequences, series, limits, functions, and infinite series while developing the rigour needed for proof-based mathematics.
• Number Theory: Study divisibility, greatest common divisors, Euler’s algorithm, Diophantine equations, and modular arithmetic.
• Group Theory: Discover how operations work across mathematical structures, using examples such as numbers, matrices, and the Rubik’s cube.
• Vector Spaces: Explore vectors, linear systems, subspaces, and higher-dimensional spaces, helping you understand how mathematics extends beyond three dimensions.
• Octave for Mathematics: Learn how mathematical algorithms can be written and implemented using Octave, including syntax and loop structures.
• Modern Geometry: Examine projective space, topology, topological surfaces, and geometric ideas that go beyond standard school geometry.

Example Topics in Our Online Psychology Programme 

Just like Mathematics, your Psychology research project takes shape around the topic you’re most drawn to, rather than following one set path. Here are some sample topics you can explore. 

• Developmental Psychology: Explore nature versus nurture, child development, and early experience, including how the first five years of life can influence later cognitive, social, and emotional development.
• Cognitive Processing: Memory, Thinking and Decision-Making: Study thinking, memory, and decision-making, then examine the dual processing model to understand why some tasks rely on fast, automatic responses while others require slower, deliberate thought.
• Mental Illnesses: Look at conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, exploring how they affect how people feel, think, respond, and manage daily life, and how those diagnosed may handle them.
• The Brain and Behaviour: Examine localisation, which links functions to different brain areas. Also explore magnetic resonance imaging, which creates detailed brain pictures, and neural plasticity, the nervous system’s ability to change through experience or environmental stimulation.
• Educational Psychology: Explore how humans learn, with attention to individual differences and learning disabilities. This includes dyslexia, described as difficulty with accurate and fluent word recognition.

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What Do You Study in the TED Virtual Summer School?

Unlike the Online Research Programme, the TED Virtual Summer School follows a structured two-week curriculum. It’s built around one core skill: developing and delivering a TED-style talk.

Here’s what the experience actually involves, from your first live session to your final talk.

• Live online sessions: You join daily live sessions with your cohort, focused on discussion, practising delivery, and giving and receiving personalised feedback.
• Self-paced learning: Alongside live sessions, you work through TED-curated content on a dedicated online platform. You’ll complete structured tasks that guide you step by step as you shape your talk.
• Final showcase: By the end of the two weeks, you present the TED-style talk you’ve developed and refined throughout the programme. You can also add it to your personal portfolio for future university or job applications.

Online Research Programme vs TED Virtual Summer School: Key Differences

Now that you know what each of our online pathways involves, it’s time to look at how they actually differ.

Here’s how our two online formats compare, from structure and duration to what you walk away with.

What Skills Do You Build in an Online Summer School?

Whether you choose our Online Research Programme or the TED Virtual Summer School, you build skills that go well beyond subject knowledge alone.

Here’s what you develop across our online pathways.

• Independent research skills: Through our Online Research Programme, you learn to use academic sources, reference correctly, and evaluate conflicting evidence, skills you apply directly to your chosen topic, whether that’s Number Theory or Educational Psychology.
• Subject-specific critical thinking: Working through topics like Real Analysis or The Brain and Behaviour teaches you to reason rigorously within a discipline, not just recall facts.
• Communication and delivery skills: Through our TED Virtual Summer School’s daily live sessions, you practise structuring ideas clearly and delivering them with confidence in front of a cohort.
• Time management skills: With sessions scheduled around your own calendar in our Online Research Programme, or daily live commitments in the TED Virtual Summer School, you learn to balance independent work against fixed deadlines.
• Digital literacy skills: Studying entirely online builds your confidence navigating virtual platforms, tools, and remote collaboration, skills that carry directly into university-style independent study.

Which Online Summer School Format Is Right for You?

Choose the Online Research Programme if you already have a subject in mind, whether that’s Mathematics, Psychology, or Law, and want to explore it independently through 1:1 tutoring with an Oxford, Cambridge, or Ivy League tutor over 10 or 15 hours.

Choose the TED Virtual Summer School if you’re drawn to public speaking and want a live, structured experience. You’ll meet your cohort daily over two weeks to develop and deliver your own TED-style talk, ideal if you thrive on group interaction rather than independent research.

FAQs

Can You Complete an Online Summer School Alongside Your Regular School Term?

Yes, our online programmes are designed to fit around your existing school commitments. The Online Research Programme runs on 10 or 15 total contact hours, scheduled flexibly around your schedule. You can complete sessions on days and times that suit your term-time or holiday calendar.

The TED Virtual Summer School runs as a fixed two-week block, with two live cohort time options available, making it easier to plan around exams or school holidays. Neither programme requires you to pause your regular studies to take part.

Can You Switch Subjects Partway Through the Online Research Programme?

Switching subjects becomes more difficult once you’ve been matched with a tutor, since your 1:1 sessions are built entirely around your chosen research topic. If you’re unsure which subject to pick, it’s best to confirm your choice before the matching process begins. 

If your interests change early on, contact the Immerse team directly, as they can advise on the best way to adjust your enrolment before your programme starts.

What Happens if You Miss a Live Session in the TED Virtual Summer School?

Missing one live session won’t derail your overall experience. This is because the programme also includes self-paced learning through TED’s dedicated online platform. This means you can continue developing your talk independently between sessions. 

That said, live sessions are where you practise delivery and receive personalised feedback, so it’s best to attend as many as possible. If you know you’ll miss a session, contact the Immerse team in advance.

Can You Take Both the Online Research Programme and TED Virtual Summer School in the Same Year?

Yes, there’s nothing stopping you from joining both programmes in the same year, since they serve genuinely different purposes. The Online Research Programme builds independent subject research skills, while the TED Virtual Summer School focuses on communication and public speaking. 

Many students choose to combine both to develop a broader academic and personal skill set, whether that’s across the same summer or at different points in the year.

Do You Receive a Certificate After Completing an Online Summer School?

Yes, both programmes recognise your participation on completion. The Online Research Programme awards a certificate of attendance across all its formats, alongside a detailed evaluation from your tutor. Accredited options also carry additional recognition, such as UCAS points or US College Credit. 

The TED Virtual Summer School concludes with a certificate of completion. You’ll also walk away with the finished talk, which you can add to your personal portfolio for future applications.

How Does Online Learning Compare to Immerse’s In-Person Summer Schools?

Our online programmes give you access to the same calibre of tutors and academic rigour as our in-person summer schools, without the need to travel. In-person programmes add residential life at renowned university locations, alongside industry visits and cultural immersion you can’t fully replicate remotely. 

Online formats offer more flexibility and accessibility, since you can take part from anywhere in the world. As a result, they’re a strong option if travel or scheduling makes an in-person programme difficult.

Conclusion 

What you study in our online summer school ultimately depends on the pathway you choose and the subject or skill that genuinely interests you.

Our Online Research Programme gives you the freedom to explore a subject like Mathematics, Psychology, or Law independently, while our TED Virtual Summer School builds communication and confidence through live, cohort-based learning.

Both formats prove that studying online doesn’t mean compromising on depth, expert guidance, or genuine academic outcomes.

Ready to get started? Explore our Online Research Programme to begin your own research project, or join our TED Virtual Summer School to find and deliver your voice.