More than a year ago, I read somewhere on the Internet (where everything, of course, is true 
) that more than one in four students will take an online college class. And, this summer, my son is among them. For him, the flexibility of the online class is perfect. It allows him to hold a job in one city in June and August while doing an internship (and hopefully some vacationing) in another cityâ1500 miles awayâin July.
But for first-timers, adjusting to a Cyberspace classroom and to an âinvisibleâ professor and classmates is bound to have pitfalls. So, for those of you who have already survived online college courses, do you have any advice ⊠either for the students taking these courses or for the profs who teach them?
Itâs not that hard. You do the work youâre assigned, watch the videos, take the tests, participate in the discussion forums, and email your professor if you have questions. Except for certain types of classes where a in person teacher and instructor is necessary (languages, labs, subjects the student struggles in) itâs not any harder for most tech savvy college students than in person classes are.
(Iâve taken 2 college courses and 4 high school courses online)
@snowfairy137 -Thanks for your thoughts. So far my sonâs class seems to be going well. His professor requires all the students to comment regularly on the reading and then to comment on each otherâs comments. This seems to be a good way to supplant the usual give-and-take of class discussions.
But, on the other hand, a good friend of mine who is an English professor hates online teaching, claiming that no online discussion can equal the give-and-take in a classroom. Personally, however, I think there are pros and cons. Shy students, for instance, are more likely to share their ideas online than in person, and everyone gets the chance to comment which is often not true in an actual classroom. Likewise, in an actual classroom, it can sometimes be hard to hear what is being said or to put some time and effort into thinking about it, which the online format tends to make easier.
Our younger daughterâs community college has a required no-credit âhow to take an online classâ class you take first.
It worked well â She learned all the tricks like how to set up notifications to her phone when something new is posted, etc. Plus the usual warnings that this is a real class, you are responsible for allocating time for it, etc.
It wasnât required when older daughter went to same school. It would be interesting to know if the âpre-classâ improved the grades in online classes.
@AroundHere -That sounds like a class that I would need for sure before attempting any sort of online course! The younger generation, however, amazes me with how easily they understand the Cyber-stuff, moving fluidly from phones to laptops and from site to site. But I agree with you, it would be interesting to see if the âpre-classâ did improve grades or (harder to measure) the overall online-student comfort level and experience.
I took several online classes as an undergrad. To be completely honest, I donât really have any advice because, at least in my experience, everything was self-explanatory. It works the same way as most any large class- there are lectures, readings, and maybe some discussion portion where you post to a message board.
Just make sure you have notifications on for emails and the board.
My daughter is a junior in high school and has been taking online classes through the local community college since the summer between ninth and tenth. She likes the flexibility and does very well, but pay attention to the dead lines! That would be my advice. One class may have a midnight deadline, but another might be 9 pm. Oh and if the professor gives you the opportunity to turn in a paper ahead of time to be critiqued before the final deadline, take it!
Online classes can be writing intensive. Itâs good to know that up front.