Online learning Online courses are widely used in college – providing easy access to course materials, classroom discussions, and feedback to instructors. The course materials and activities may be accessed from any computer, whether it is from the University, or from the comfort of your own home. I have taken two online courses and benefited from those classes. There are a few reasons why I am drawn to an online education course as opposed to taking courses in a traditional classroom setting. First of all, I have a full-time job, which limits my opportunities to attend classes scheduled during normal school hours. Also, online classes allow me to work on my own and move at my own pace. Finally, these classes offer more of a one-on-one teacher-student relationship, rather than teachers having to spread their focus among thirty other students.
Having a full-time job makes it very difficult to schedule your classes. The hours I have scheduled at my job are in conflict with the times that most classes are offered. The use of online courses has made life at work easier. When a person has to work full time, it is hard for that person to successfully juggle their job responsibilities along with homework and study. This person can always take an online course to deal with the time constraints that a job will put on them. The use of online courses allows you to cover the material needed in school while maintaining your workload.
I have learned that to be a successful distance learner, you have to be self-disciplined and able to work well on your own. Since you will not be physically going to class each week, you can take part in class from the comfort of your own home. However, the instructor is not constantly there to remind you of assignments or of project deadlines. Other obligations include keeping up with all the work for the course.
When I took my first online course, I just thought that the work for the course could be put off until I had time to do it. In doing this, I got very far behind. It took me quite a while to catch back up with the assignments, and I promised myself that I would never let that happen again. Students who procrastinate about their assignments usually wind up withdrawing from the course late in the semester. Students should leave time in their schedule to complete their online courses successfully. Although online classes are more convenient than traditional college classes, they should be looked at as typical college classes and not be taken lightly.
Being able to communicate with instructors and other students has made me be a more active participant during the courses. With the two online courses I have taken, I never felt it was difficult to communicate with my instructors in order to ask for help or clarification of an assignment. The instructors and the students taking these classes have been very helpful to me. The online courses offer a discussion board to send posts to your fellow students. You get a chance to read and critique each other’s work and respond to the comments of your classmates. I have learned that by discussing each other’s ideas, we are in turn challenging each other to examine our own thoughts and feelings. Thus we get a chance to share personal experiences during the discussion while improving our writing style.
Any student who is interested in taking an online course should do research on the class and speak with the instructor before enrolling, in order to make sure they are up for the challenge. Online courses are a great alternative for the student who holds a full-time job. They are not only convenient, but they teach you how to become a more disciplined scholar. |