In conclusion online courses are the best option for any student. The advantages of having a flexible schedule, being able to learn at a desired pace, along with having the option to work wherever is comfortable. Out do any disadvantage that can be discussed. So when it comes anyone’s time to make the leap into to taking college classes all I can say is choose wisely.
Yet one cannot praise the advantages without taking a look at the possible limitations of Web-based delivery. The authors, (Sunal et al., 2003) stated that Web-based students indicated dissatisfaction with the number of opportunities for interaction with the instructor and other students. (Simonson et al., 2003) concluded that access to technology, paradigm shifts for instructors, bandwidth limitations, and training and technical assistance may hinder course delivery. They (Simonson et al., 2003) reported too, that online courses require students to be motivated, self directed and responsible for their success. Another possible disadvantage with Web-based courses is the potential loss of social relationships and sense of community that exists in traditional face-to-face courses (Hiltz, 1998).
There are many vast differences between online and traditional courses, first being flexibility in schedule. Traditional courses have a set time and day for the duration of the semester. Attending class is a portion of your grade. You have to make sure you have the time to attend class and not miss over the allotted amount of days. To help with the scheduling, the college usually offers day courses, night courses, and abbreviated summer classes. Traditional classes comes first on your priority list, work, and then lastly your family. Your free time is scheduled around your class schedule. Classes are 2-4 days a week depending on the schedule you choose. Even though it might be somewhat of an inconvenience, you have to keep in mind it is only for a short time and won’t last forever. All of your sacrifices will pay off in the long run; you will have a degree. The second area of contrast is discipline. Traditional classes, are more for the people who need structure to stay on course. Someone is there giving you daily assignments and s...
I used to have the similar misconception about online courses that they are easy, and effective, but after taking few online course in Community College, I started realizing that online courses are not as easy as we think. In my own personal experience, online courses are loaded with more assignments, projects, and different activities to engage students more in the courses, which is sometimes challenging to keep up with the class schedule, but it is required, since face-to-face interactions are hardly possible to determine how students are performing in the online courses, and those are the only means of evaluation for online students. Sometimes it is very difficult to explain the particular situations and problems we are having in the course
There are also many conveniences and benefits to taking an online class over a traditional, face-to-face class. Many students benefit logistically, financially, and from the course structure itself. Online classes provide the student with more opportunities to be successful in their coursework. Online courses can be completed based on the student's own schedule, provide for faster and less nervous interactions with instructors, and in many cases, are more educationally beneficial setting alternatives to traditional, face-to-face classes. In fact, Sixty-seven percent of academic professionals evaluated online courses as equivalent to as or better than face-to-face courses (Lytle).
An area of great contrast between the two forms of education regards the student experience. For example, students may enjoy taking tests or listening to lectures in the comfort of their own home. However, this poses a major disadvantage of not being able to ask questions as they naturally arise. An online student may have to wait around for their instructor to respond to an email, whereas being present in a classroom permits questions to be asked and answered on the spot. Another advantage of attending a brick-and-mortar college is having access to classmates for study groups or help with homework. After reading several students opinions on their online classes, I have come to realize the overall expe...
Most of the time, a student cannot learn at their own pace of the subject because the teacher has a schedule and other students so that student can easily fall behind or not feel as if they are learning. Also, if a student misses a class due to an illness or some other sort of reason they will get behind in classes, while with online class the student can still work while sick or the class will not move on without them. Some schools do not offer some classes that students wish to take. For example, some schools may not present a language class that the pupil wishes to take but online they have a better chance of being able to take that
Finally, you have to think and make decision on whether you want to do online or traditional education. There are several aspects between traditional education and online education that are similar but there are also aspects that are different. One of the many that are alike is the requirement for books and papers; however, the two factors not alike are the cost and equality between all students. Some may feel that traditional education is better because you have person to person communication with the instructor. When you are balancing a lot of things you sometimes tend to fall asleep during class. You have to look at your life and your daily responsibilities when you determining which educational setting is best for you. There are a lot of factors you have to look at when you trying find the type of education that fits your lifestyle
Lansford, L. (2009). Online classes can save schools money; expand learning time for k-12 students. Retrieved from http://news.ufl.edu/2009/05/18/online-learning/
Many students say online courses are convenient. Online courses allow students to plan according to their schedule, and the time and location that best works for them. Although online education may seem more “easier,” students should look at the cons of online education. In the feature article "Face-Face or Online Instruction? Face-Face is Better," the author, Arleen R. Bejerano, claims online courses take the students away from the college community and confines them to their home. The students no longer have interaction with the college community, which may cause them to miss out on some important opportunities. This may affect their possibility of succeeding to achieve a degree. The author suggests some students may become discouraged from learning independently, from facing challenges in academics, and fall behind or
A lot of different courses are offered over the internet. Some of these may be the right choice for certain students. One problem I see with this is that when the student has a question or does not understand something, they would have to research it instead of having a person to person interaction with the teacher. Also the teacher may sometimes offer examples that come from personal experiences. Computers cannot take the place of a human being.
Those who disagree with me think that online learning allows a student to learn at their own pace. Students are able to take the time to understand and figure out problems with the resources that are provided. The convenience of learning in an environment that is conducive to that particular students learning is provided by the student. If the student feels comfortable they are more apt
Because of the flexibility, the course load seems to be all the more intense. The course load is more rigorous being that work is graded on a stricter scale than traditional colleges, and also entails a greater work load. In the article, Study Looks at Online Learning vs. Traditional Instruction, Angiello states,” Many instructors and understudies of online colleges, while lauding the accessibility of online education, will typically recognize that the cost paid for this adaptability is investing extra effort (Angiello 2010).” So, although the convenience is there, according to the schedules of many, the overall grind is much more intense. This provides reasoning for why students taking online courses are perhaps more prepared and properly adequate candidates for employment positions, versus a traditional student with the same degree. In the same article previously listed, Angiello writes, “understudies who participated in online courses performed better than students receiving the same material through conventional lectures (Angiello 2010). It is evident through the article that, because of the more rigorous work load, students are adhering to the concepts further in an online environment than a traditional setting, thus presenting online learning beneficial in terms of knowledge and qualifications.
There are many advantages to online learning, it affects the way people can learn. According to “Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students”, “students have a greater willingness to write or work on computational skills”. “They say student like the immediate results of having online learning.” Another advantage is that students can learn at their own pace. With learning at their own pace they will be able to actually know the information well. If, they are in a regular classroom setting they may no...
All in all, taking online courses has many advantages for a person who may want to spend more time with their families. Online learning allows you to have flexibility in order to keep things going the way it should go. Online learning has become one of the better ways to obtain an higher education.