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I've taken a lot of online classes, and none of them had lectures or any kind of live interaction, or really any accessibility to the professors at all (some didn't even respond to email). Most of them just required reading chapters of a book and then submitting summaries. Some classes had learning modules - read a bunch of stuff online and then take an online quiz. I wouldn't take another one - these were at different universities, and some of those universities were top-ranked.
I absolutely love the online format as opposed to a classroom setting. They both have their pros/cons...it's just a matter of preference and in my case necessity. I'm in the Navy, located about 20 mins south of Tokyo...there is no conceivable way that I'll be able to take courses in a classroom enevironment...not to mention I spend 6 months out of any given year on a ship floating around the Pacific. Also, I hate getting that professor that is an absolute bore. For me, I just have to write out a planner/calendar for assignments and study time, access the internet and online school library and get it done. Every professor I've had thus far in graduate level at Webster Univ. is a PhD, and they are quick to answer your questions and grade assignments...turnaround time is always under 24 hours. If you know your prof. office hours you can usually catch them near their email and get answers in minutes. I applaud you for your classroom work, but my life is so hectic that I have to have my own schedule and just make the deadline. Best of luck to you!!!
I took plenty of online classes. I did like them a lot because, quite honestly, if I went to the lecture or not didn't matter, because I came out not knowing much compared to when I walked in. Most of my professors were not efficient teachers. That way I could just do the studying on my own terms, whenever I wanted to.
If you have a great teacher, I suppose I'd prefer online classes. Or, maybe I'm just not bright enough to just walk into the lecture and be able to fully understand everything without doing much outside of class. For those people, I'd recommend going to class rather than taking an online class. Then you have a schedule you can stick to, in case you're lacking the discipline required for online classes.
The only classes that actually required me to learn since high school have been face to face science classes.
F2F humanities and all online classes I've walked out with with As, but learned next to nothing. Some of us can write and test well without actually mastering the material.
So I prefer face to face, but online is what fits my needs right now.
I prefer the classes that I attend in person. I always seem to learn more and be more interested in the subject matter of the class. However due to my crazy work schedule I will be doing my classes online this term so I won't be limited by attending class in person. When I remember classes that I enjoyed throughout college they were all face to face classes.
I have taken three online math courses, only because we had a newborn and we both worked. Out of the three, only one was actually decent, and that's because it was a lecture based class (like being there). The other two were driven totally by a website and working problems. I did well in both but found that my retainment of the material was much worse than if I had taken them in a traditional class.
I would take face to face any day, but sometimes online is the only option, and it's a nice backup.
Online classes are excellent because allow you to attend college on your own schedule, save travel time, and you can attend from anywhere in the world.
However, as a professor who has taught online courses (at traditional B&M schools) and has gone through accreditation assessments at other schools, I can assure you that online classes cannot replace the classroom experience and do not produce the same level of learning (in their currrent form). Online discussion boards are too slow and do not result in meaningful indepth discussions compared to in-class real-time discussions. Professors also slack in online courses, further reducing the learning quality. And then there's the fact that most learning is transferred through real-time interaction at college and online courses minimize that.
What you end up with is learning nothing more than what's in a textbook or two. At which point you've wasted time and money and have gained less knowledge than you would have in class.
i've taken both undergraduate and graduate online courses and in almost all classes, the professor had no idea how to teach the class. Some tried harder than others. some used discussion boards and conference calls. One even had group projects.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marie5v
I've taken a lot of online classes, and none of them had lectures or any kind of live interaction, or really any accessibility to the professors at all (some didn't even respond to email). Most of them just required reading chapters of a book and then submitting summaries. Some classes had learning modules - read a bunch of stuff online and then take an online quiz. I wouldn't take another one - these were at different universities, and some of those universities were top-ranked.
This was also my experience. The idea of a lecture was to post a text document or Powerpoint slides. I had some classes that were simply reading a chapter and taking a test. Some posted essay tests where you had a limited amount of time to submit your response.
I have taken all my math and science classes in person, and all Gen Ed classes online. If it's a subject I really like it is nice to go in person, but the convenience of online is hard to beat. I work full time, so online works the best for me. I have had no difference in grades in online classes compared to in person ones. Some teachers are better than others as far as communicating, but I haven't had any issue with that. Also most have office hours ate the school where you can find them to get help whether you are in their regular or online classes. I love online.
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