So I know a lot of universities (and other programs) have started to latch onto the idea that online education is the future. And in some ways, I agree. However, I think I will always be an advocate for in-person education (for several reasons), but I will admit there are definite benefits to online education.
For starters, there's the obvious benefit of working and learning on your schedule. This is great for students who work during the day or whose schedules otherwise prevent them from attending in-person classes. Also, it's a good option when you have other classes that meet in person and you need that one class that doesn't fit anywhere else in your existing schedule. As a student who has taken a couple of online classes myself, I really do enjoy the flexibility it provides. Of course you still have specific due dates to meet, but it's a lot easier to do that when you have the choice to do your classwork at midnight (if need be, and let it be noted that I wouldn't wish that on anyone). It also really helps if you're super motivated and like to work ahead (which can sometimes be difficult in a traditional class because you don't always know what the specific assignments will be) because there are oftentimes opportunities for you to chunks of the class at a time, which saves you a lot of time and headache later in the semester.
I will say, though, that if you're thinking about taking an online class, you should be prepared to work. Possibly harder than you would if you were taking an in-person class. You have to be able to teach yourself to an extent, but remember that the instructors are there for you, too. The instructors of these courses never get to see your face, and they only get to communicate with you through email, so they don't know if you're struggling with a concept. They only see your performance on the assignments, and how often/for how long you logged into the course. The only way to let them know if you're dealing with outside circumstances is to tell them. I was a teaching assistant for an online course for three semesters plus a summer semester, and let me tell you from experience, one of the most frustrating things is when a student contacts you at the end of the semester and tells you everything they were dealing with over the course of the semester and why they should get some sort of extra credit. Believe me, it's a lot easier to tell the instructor if you even anticipate problems arising and be wrong than to scramble at the end of the semester and miss out on possible accommodations.
All of that is to say, basically, that there are definite benefits to having online options for learning, but there are also some serious downsides. For instance, if you are a very reading/writing-oriented learner, you'll probably do a lot better in an online course than someone who is very aural, because most of these online courses (at least the ones I've had experience with) use limited sound bytes. Although you definitely can make it work, just take into account how you learn; online courses don't work for everyone.
Like I mentioned earlier, I tend to operate better in a traditional class, but I understand that other people prefer the online setting. I don't think that online education will completely take over traditional classes, because there are too many people with too many different learning styles and preferences to exclusively offer one format or another, but online courses have their benefits in the busy age we live in, especially for adults who are returning to school and may have nontraditional scheduling needs.
If you have other experiences or opinions about online education, please feel free to let me know! I'm interested in hearing what you all think.
Love Always,
Kristin
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