Today, more and more colleges are offering courses to students that are entirely online. Students who are drawn to online courses include students working full-time jobs, students who would prefer a private study environment, or students who find that online courses are easier than traditional (campus-based) courses. Advertisements geared to encourage students to register for online classes have the tendency to portray them as being easier and requiring less work than its campus counterpart. For instance, some television advertisements show students wearing night clothes working in a relaxed environment within their home - free of the pressures caused by deadlines and testing. Despite the fact that online courses and traditional courses generally cover the same material on a given subject—the two are markedly different with regards to technical requirements, social interaction, testing, and practice. Possessing strong computer skills is one of the fundamental requirements for a student taking an online course. In contrast, traditional courses seldom require the use of computers; instead, online courses are conducted entirely on a computer via the internet. Students must know how to navigate the internet, use email to communicate and submit assignments, and use word processing and other programs required for the specific course. Students who are novice computer users will be at a great disadvantage and likely will not complete the course with a satisfactory grade. Students who possess these skills will be able to excel through online courses with greater ease, and more flexibility than courses taught on campus. Lack of social interaction is another factor that a student should consider when registering to take an online course. A... ... middle of paper ... ...es, than courses taken on campus. Students absolutely must possess great self-discipline in order to successfully complete an online course. All things considered, besides a private study environment, the single most advantage of an online course over a traditional course is the flexibility they offer in scheduling, especially for students with fluctuating schedules. Nevertheless, despite advertisements, online courses require students to work as hard as courses taught on campus—if not harder. Students who lack computer skills, students who require strong social interaction, and students who are not strongly disciplined should take courses that are offered on campus. Students must carefully evaluate all of these points and any course literature available in order to select the type of course that best fits their learning style, as this has been most helpful for me.
However, when a student takes an online class the student and professor are at a disadvantage of building an interpersonal relationship. For example, a professor is unable to read the nonverbal cues of a struggling student through a computer screen or is unable to tell if a student is experiencing a true emergency. Just as, a student is unable to read their professors nonverbal cues that a particular chapter or assignment is vital to passing the course. I have taken classes on campus and online classes for three semesters now and have learned that regardless of class format a student needs to be dedicated, structured, self-motivated and not afraid to ask questions. A disadvantage of taking an online class is if a web portal is not working properly.
Studies show that nontraditional students over the age of 30 are more likely to succeed in online classes than traditional students because they tend to be more engaged with their courses, have better time management and value exchanges with their peers and instructors (Dibiase & Kidwai, 2010). In a course study at a U.S. university it was found that traditional students logged into class less frequently than nontraditional students, contributed less in class discussions, asked routine rather than substantive questions, but scored equally on assignments (Dibiase & Kidwai, 2010). The study also showed that nontraditional students enrolled in courses they felt would advance their careers while many traditional students only enrolled in courses to fulfill degree requirements (Dibiase & Kidwai,
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...
Professors often e-mail or post the homework and often require students to submit assignments online. The inability to download or upload the assignments will typically result in a failing grade for that assignment. Many colleges offer basic computer literacy courses for students who need to gain familiarity with hardware and software functionality. Also, students may find tutorials with instructions on learning computer basis without enrolling in a formal class. All college students need to have basic computer skills because it is imperative for them to complete their assignments.
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
Most people struggle to conclude whether the cost and the future debts they could possibly face are settling or not. The option to attend college online at a much cheaper cost is a new common and popular alternative. Now that technology is so easy to access and can help solve almost all the world's answers, many students think that attending college is a waste. Students can access all the information they want and need online and graduate from college online. “Today's average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV).
In conclusion, most of the students that enroll in online courses are working adults who prefer this setup as an alternative because this way they can share family and work schedule with their studies. They have the commitment and the determination to succeed in the online environment and they bring experience that can be helpful for them to learn and understand new theories and concepts. Adults value flexibility and the ability to choose their schedule. Online education gives adults an equal opportunity of finish school or attains that goal that it will put them on the road to success.
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).
Online education is cost-effective, efficient, and easily accessible (Schmeeckle, 2003). Online classes are used for individual and independent learning, in which the student can learn at their own pace (Gonzalez, 2009). Not only is online education beneficial for breaking down barriers, online education has the potential to help students learn material more efficiently. Students are more likely to seek help from their instructors when the material is taught online (Whipp & Lorentz, 2009). Computer use in statistical classes can help decrease math anxiety (Gundy, Morton, Liu, & Kline, 2006).
Today’s generation is like no other. The nation as a whole has completely evolved from past times, with technology being one of the greatest improvements. Traditionally, schooling takes place in a classroom setting, but, with the many modifications in our world’s system, we are able to assimilate more modern means of education, such as online learning. However, with many changes comes differences and requires adjustments. The online learning system has proven to be just as effective as traditional learning, with some minor differences, however, nothing of great significance. A few of those insignificant differences include online learning being convenient, especially for the non-traditional students,
When students are deciding on where to go to college, they have the option of choosing between online classes and the traditional classroom classes. Today, some students are finding it much easier to maintain a job, family and start a college career, all by taking online classes. Although some students still prefer to stick with the traditional classroom classes, they still have the option to take online classes. Both online and the traditional classes will provide the educational requirements needed to obtain a college degree and opportunities in the work field. Although the online classes offer just as much as the traditional classes, they are completely different when it comes to teaching methods, course material and time.
Education should be one of the most important things in a person’s life. Most people are trying to achieve an education. It is stressful when you are trying to decide what school you want to go to. While debating on whether to attend college or not, many people wonder which education is better online or traditional education. As the cost of education increases a lot of students are choosing online education because its’ flexibility. If you look at it from both point of views you are accomplishing the same thing from both, which is a degree. Some people look at the cost of the school to see if they will go to school there. When you going by means of the cost of how much it will be for the degree you are trying to achieve you have to look at the salary you will be making with the major you are pursuing. Online and traditional education has a lot of similarities and differences.
With everything else there are pro’s and con’s in taking online courses. Some of the advantages of taking online courses include completing all assignment at your own pace. Some people may take a little longer than oth...
There are some students who find it easier to work in internet classrooms and some others that find it easier to stay with traditional classrooms. I think someone may choose internet classrooms if they have difficulty interacting with teachers and other students. Some people do not like being in the classroom because they do not feel at ease around certain people especially those who treat others with disrespect. It is hard for a student to concentrate and learn a lesson when they have that kind of pressure.
In the undergraduate educational setting, student proficiency and comfort with technology are stressed, but the essential mission of most undergraduate institutions (especially, liberal arts institutions such as Dartmouth) is on the development of the individual. The nurturing and supportive environment of most undergraduate institutions helps students mature and develop. The rave and fad of online undergraduate learning causes students to miss out on too many intangibles of an on-campus education. Our current theory on education hasn’t adequately dealt with the intricacies of a web-based education, and therefore the effectiveness of such is highly questionable.