114 Online Discussion (oral component)
Instructions: Please read and respond to the following posting regarding online classes. Consider your own experience—compare it to mine. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Is being an “online student” harder than you expected? Easier? What are specific problems you’ve encountered? Do you have tips or strategies to share with others?
I took my first online class in grad school in 2000 (if I recall correctly…seems so long ago). It was not taught via Blackboard like so many Internet courses are today. Our professor had a Website that contained all the resources we needed to fulfill the requirements of the class. We had no textbook; we could download materials, read articles, and submit our work via email—all at the click of a mouse. After years of college and one degree under my belt, this was heaven to me. I was able to work full-time and still continue my education without stepping foot in the classroom. I took most of my graduate courses at ECU online; we were what I believe to be cutting-edge at the time. I feel that I got my money’s worth; however, I’ll admit that it’s what you make it. You, the student, will determine how much you learn.
Internet classes have always been fairly easy for me in exception for one. And when I say easy, I simply mean “doable.” I’m dedicated and focused enough to sit down before a deadline and get it done. It may be five hours before it’s due, but if it takes working through the night until the wee hours of the morning, I DO IT. Can you? That’s the question you must ask yourself. Internet classes aren’t for everyone. There are some things that are imperative if you are to be a successful Internet student. You must be INDEPENDENT. If you need someone to hold your hand and walk you through everything, you’re not a good candidate. If you like immediate feedback (and a lot of it), you can forget it. If you do not have the technical resources, for example, a decent computer with up-to-date programs (and virus protection) in addition to the recommended high-speed connection, Internet courses will be very, very, very challenging for you.
You can simply “take” an Internet class, or you can get the most out of it. There’s more flexibility in graduate school to work with specific concentrations, but anyone regardless of level can go above and beyond—research more, write more, and interact more with his or her instructor and peers.
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Additional questions to consider: Do you think all classes can be effectively taught online? Do you think an online degree is equivalent to a degree obtained in the traditional classroom setting?
posted by Christy Kinnion @ 11:31 AM
13 comments
13 Comments:
This is my first time taking an online class and I love it. I like the fact that I can work on my assignments anytime. You can work at your own pace. Online courses would have a good advantage for those who have children or work all the time. The disadvantages would be not understanding how to do something and communicating issues such as internet crash. Having a class online has been easy and hard for me, for example, using Microsoft Publisher about drove me crazy. I couldn’t print the brochure out correctly and I finally got it after wasting a whole stack of paper for my printer. Other then that problem I have had fun doing this online class. I would recommend others to try it.
Some classes shouldn’t be taught online for example, Math. I think having a teacher show you how to work out the problem will help you to understand it better. I also don’t think every degree should come from online. I think for certain courses you should be in the classroom, especially nursing or a class such as the B.L.E.T. You need hands on experience and I think being in the classroom the teacher can give you a better understanding. But some degrees would be appropriate to get online, such as an English Instructor. I do think that an online degree would be equivalent to a degree obtained in the classroom.
Sheena Rhodes
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I started taking classes on-line in like 2001. It was easier for me because I have two small children. I was able to continue my schooling without having to leave my residents. I was using Blackboard from the beginning but it has improved a lot since I started. I think Internet courses are really convenient for working people and people with small children. It saves on daycare expenses. Internet classes have worked out with raising my children and being able to be home and around for them while there father my husband was serving in Iraq.
The only thing with Internet courses is that the individual has to be disciplined and able to stay on tasks. It is work on your own time so you have to make time for that class. I am good with discipline but it is hard for me to work alone. I tend not to understand some of the material and feel stupid always having to e-mail questions about the assignments. I think I do better in a classroom setting but that was not possible for the last couple of years. This year it will be possible and that is what I will be doing.
I think most classes can be done on the Internet depending on the major. If it is something like Medical Assisting then no, you would need lab time, but criminal justice I believe would be fine all on the internet. I also believe that an Internet degree is just as good as a degree in the classroom.
Online classes are alot easier than I anticipated. There are so many advantages that make online classes convenient. Online classes help students save time, money, and trips to school. They also allow students to work, spend more family time, and have personal time. Some tips I would encourage students to consider for online classes would be staying ahead on assignments, chatting with other students, and make sure your computer is up to date. English 114 TC has been a great experience for my first online class. The class has taught me proper english skills and business aspects that will be helpful in the future. I do not think all classes should be taught online. Most technical classes require hands on experience. However, I think an online degree is equivalent to a degree obtained in a traditional classroom setting.
Sylvia Ervin said...
Online classes was a little challenging for me this semester. The online classes I took in the pass the students met in a classroom setting with the teacher once a week. I felt as if I needed the teacher right there to help me. I also found out that my computer skills was not as great as I thought and the computer was not up to date. But once I got familar with my computer and brought it up to date my skills got better. My advice to students who take online clsses,work ahead on assignments and chatting with other students helps. Taking this class online has taught me alot in business communicating and the proper enlish skills. I don't think any technical classes should be taught on the internet. If people are like me you will need to have hand on experience, because it can become a difficult task. Online classes can be convenient for people who have small children and work full time. However, it was convenient for me this semester I got a chance to spend some of my summer with my family and my first grandchild.I feel that a online degree is equivalent to a degree that can be obtained in a traditional classroom setting. Internet classes is a class that you need to really spend enough time to get your assignments done.
I have never taken an internet class before this summer's semester. Classmates of mine from previous semesters told me that taking an online class is more demanding than taking the same course in a classroom setting. When I went to register for summer courses, English was the only course I needed that still had an open position for me. One class for the semester is too slack for me; but, I was courious as to how I would perform in an online classroom. English is my worst subject so I saw this to be a challenge to tackle.
I believe online classes have their place in the academics of a college degree. It is focussed towards working adults like myself, as well as working adults that also have children. A degree based completely online in my opinion is not an accredited degree. Where is the practical portion in an online degree? How far can a person go in his or her's study when feedback from professors is delayed by days or so? Can a person studying solely online get the same amount of education and understanding as a classroom student? I do not think so. Again, this is my opinion. Online classes are aids for the working class people and should not led to a degree on their own.
I have enjoyed this online class this semester. There are pros and cons to taking an online class. I find it easy to procrastinate, and then if anything at all goes wrong it is easy to find yourself in a race to meet a deadline. This is the second online class I've taken, and during both semseters Earthlink has discontinued my dial-up number. When this happens, you must search for another number to use that will be local, which is time consuming and aggravating to say the least. This assignment was one that I had planned to submit early, but due to this problem I had to wait until now to do so. I also miss the availability of the teacher. There have been several instances when I needed to talk to the instructor, only to have to wait until I could get her on the phone or leave her a voice mail. I also miss the classroom setting. Other than Trey and Dwayne who were once my DuPont coworkers, I do not know any of my classmates personally. There are some classes that I think work quite well as on online courses, but as Ms. Kinnion said if you are one that needs a lot of one on one guidance this may not be the proper way to get credit hours. I have another online course scheduled for the Fall, hopefully that class wll go as well as this one has. Sorry I didn't get to meet all of you, but in the computer age of today it seems that we are now sometimes cybermates instead of traditional classmates. This has been a very interesting class for me, and I look forward to maybe having another class with some of you in the future.
Well, to say the least I have had a tough time with some of these projects. I am not to smart when it comes to computors. I think this internet course has inhanced my knowledge working with computors. Anyone who likes computors or would like to learn more about them, I would suggest taking this course. I think this online course is great for someone who has a family or is very busy. Even though, I had a tough time on some projects, I would take another course online.
This course was a little more difficult than some people had told me. But I have learned alot in this class and how to overcome my fear of using the computer and how e-mail works and being able to talk to you when I need to. Doing all the assignents have been a challenge but I feel that I have grown alot. Working at my own pace has been interesting. I have a good partner and she work real good together. We help each other out and show the other how it is done. I would recommend this course to any that is thinking about taking it.
As far as my positive opinion (which overcomes my negative opinions) about online courses, there are many great things about them. They make the student to learn the material on their own. As Ms. Kinnion stated, there are no instructors holding your hand. In a positive sense, you will learn the material on your own and embed it in your mind instead of having an instructor run behind you telling you the same thing over and over until you take the test and forget the material again. You do all the research on your own which I think is a wonderful thing. You still have much time to do all the things your need to such as work, children, etc. and still be able to receive your degrees. If you are taking courses that you already know about or have much interest in, no attendance is required to listen to long lectures about material you already know or have gone over at home. I mean do you ever sit in class during a familiar lecture and thoughts go through your head such as, “I could be making money right now” or “I could be working on another important assignment right now”? With online courses, none of your time will be wasted. They can also be very fun. It feels good to turn in work and receive good grades knowing you did it on your own with little or no guidance. The benefits of online courses far exceed what room I have to offer my opinions. Online study is of course a breakthrough in science and technology and I believe it will change the world. It is still just the beginning.
I do believe in Sheena’s comment about certain courses being taught online. However, it isn’t the difficult courses that you shouldn’t take online, it is the courses that require experience such as maybe chemistry, phys ed, cosmetology or automotive courses. Lack of experience with these courses could have hazardous results. Although taking courses online offers convenience, it also offers freedom which many people take for granted. Waiting till the last minute, not taking work seriously, forgetting the assignments can all be problems that creep up on you with you realizing it. What it all boils down to is that yes, the online experience is what YOU make of it. Regardless of where you learn the material, it is up to YOU to want to learn it and benefit from it. I would recommend taking at least one online course in your academic years.
This is my first online course, and I have really enjoyed it. I like the fact that you can work on your assignments at your own pace. Working full time makes it hard to take classes and finish school. This has allowed me to take more classes at the time. These classes are good for people who have the drive to do work on their own. The only problem I have found with these classes is when your computer crashes and all your work is on the hard drive. I learned the hard way that you need a back up. I had both of my computers die last week. Overall I have enjoyed taking this class online and would recommend this, especially people who are working and going to school.
Kyle Smith
My initial experience with Internet classes was spring semester (2005). Four out of nine of my classes were Internet courses. It was a little frustrating in the beginning of the semester for one of my courses because the instructor's office is off campus; however, I have become to enjoy taking classes on-line.
The advantages to taking on-line classes are:
· Being able to work at one’s own pace-
I completed three of the four courses within the first half of the semester. This left more than ample time for me to cater to my other classes.
· Its convenient-
A student can learn in the comfort of their home. People who have children can remain at home to spend more quality time with them and save on daycare expenses. There is also the privilege of being able to schedule your own class and/or test time.
· Less distractions-
Being able to learn without other students sitting nearby talking, sighing loudly, wasting time by getting off of the subject during the lecture, asking stupid questions, or doing other annoying things is good.
The disadvantages to taking on-line classes are:
· Not being able to receive an immediate response from your instructor-
This could result in failure to meet a deadline.
· Not having a computer at home-
Assignments are still due in cases of inclement weather whether students have their own computer or not.
· Technical difficulties-
It can be very frustrating if the computer goes down in the midst of an exam or an assignment.
Taking on-line courses requires self-discipline. A student must decide whether or not to have fun now and fail, or get on-line and study and/or complete an assignment; especially in the summer semester.
Overall, on-line courses are great; however, a student must have self-discipline to excel.
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