What are your thoughts about students taking psychology courses online or in a traditional lecture classroom?
Question:
Answer:
I have a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. My entire undergraduate degree was through a distance learning program. I found that what I learned online far surpassed my friends who were graduating with their master's degree in traditional on campus programs. I feel one can learn as much, if not more depending on their motivation, taking online courses. However, I would highly discourage graduate level courses in psychology because there are too many things at stake (e.g., a therapist's competence in dealing with potential life decisions of other humans). However, undergraduate courses are not designed to teach one to do actual therapy, but to lay a foundation for that work to be laid on.
I think its very important for physical attendance for a psychology class.
I am quite against the concept of an online class...its very anti-social and can turn a person into a hermit crab.
Afterall, we humans are essentially social animals.
Well, I personally enjoy a traditional classroom setting - but not so much for lectures, but the interaction with PEOPLE instead of words on a screen is so much richer I think. You interact with other students, form study groups, meet new people, and if it is a discussion, it is VERY interesting to see what others think about the chosen topic.
I have both right now - on-line and in class. I prefer in class. On line is murderously boring!
I am extremely for actual "in a seat in a classroom" classes. Online classes are.. horribly boring, and very anti-social. I personally am one to start debates in my classes, and I cannot do that online. It's more benificial to be in a class with other people that have different opinions... you can learn a lot more by interacting with people within the same class. Especially for a class like Psychology.
I've taken both, and would have to say that the on line was great for a Spanish class or a math class, but I took my Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy courses in person, because there's a lot more involved that can be best learned through interaction. I'm not sure about Psych 101, as it's primarily learning a whole lot of vocabulary, and a lot of info about people in Psychology. It's fairly simple to memorize and regurgitate the stuff in 101. I think once you get into the heavier stuff, you can lose a lot if you don't have a teacher there and then to answer any questions or elaborate on theory.
More Questions & Answers...