Are online courses people take harder to do or is it easier in a classroom?
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I have been taking online courses now for almost a year and a half and have found that the program is very rewarding! I have felt alot less pressure than having traditional classroom instruction. Although there are several different aspects of online courses, there are many things that have been done through many colleges and universities to bring the online students together. For example, with the classes that I have taken, there is a discussion board that allows you and other classmates to post interesting topics and help each other with puzzling issues that may arise during the completion of coursework. In addition, if extra help is needed, there is generally a phone number that you can call for technical support or for assistance. This can prove to be especially useful when you are enrolled in a math course. You can e-mail assignments whenever you like, watch lectures on DVD or videotape whenever you like, and do classwork at your convenience. It actually saves alot of time since you don't have to commute to school and spend alot of time getting ready to go to class. You can sit at home and do your work in your pajamas! :o) One thing that I would highly recommend is that you be mindful of the concept of networking and forming outside interests while you are completing your coursework. Since you are not physically attending classes at a college or university, you still need sufficient time for social activities. Some colleges give you a start date and an end date to complete coursework. It is up to you to plan your schedule accordingly. If you do decide to take an online class, I would recommend that you establish a schedule immediately for your coursework when you get the syllabus and list of assignments. Make sure that you complete the assignments in a timely fashion. It also helps to have a buddy that will hold you accountable for completing your reading and written assignments. I'm sure that this policy will vary from college to college, but when it comes time to take exams, often times with the online class, the professor will not give a time limit and you can take all the time that you want to complete your exam in the presence of a proctor. This really takes off alot of pressure. Allow for plenty of time to complete assignments and if you can do it, try to complete your coursework in advance. If you are an independent learner and don't like to waste time, online classes might be for you. I hope that some of these suggestions may be helpful to you. If you want to talk more about online classes, you may shoot me a note.
My experience with this as an undergrad has been that online courses, somehow, involve a lot more coursework. My theory is that professors make up for classroom time (time that would be spent in discussion) by handing out more work just to keep you busy. Online courses, in my opinion, should only be taken if you work full time and cannot make it into class at a specific time every week or if you live too far from campus.
That really depends on the calss itself. I took English onine and had a great teacher, i got an A. But as for something like math. I tried taking that online but that takes more explaining than what can be done on the computer it needs hands on, unless you allready know it. However if you can take PE online its great, best class i ever had
Online courses are typically harder for the general population to do. Most people who take an online class can expect to end up with one letter grade lower than if they had taken it in the classroom. People are typically not very self-motivated so having to be in a class often forces them to actually be there for the presentation of the material. Many people also get more out of hearing the lectures than in just reading the text itself. If however, you are very motivated, a self-starter, and seldom proscrastinate, you may do well with an on-line course. If you have trouble comprehending textbooks without interpretation or discussion, then I would recommend you take the classroom course. Some online instructors are also more demanding of their students.
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