<p>I'm going to be a freshman at UMD next year as a Government/Politics and Arabic double major. Because I also want to study abroad, I'm thinking of taking some online classes this summer to get some requirements out of the way. I've already decided to take an intro Government course so that I can move onto more advanced classes in the major, and I'm thinking about taking Microeconomics as well. My major requires that we take Macroeconomics only, but Microeconomics is recommended to be taken first for general understanding. My one concern with this is that I tried to self-study for the AP Macroeconomics exam but ended up deciding against it because I was having trouble learning all the concepts from a review book. So I'm worried that taking an online class might be harder than learning the concepts in a classroom. But then again maybe learning primarily from a textbook with supplemental online lectures and practice problems would be more doable than something that's designed as a review. I've never taken an online class before so I don't really know what it's like or how hard it would be. </p>
<p>Could anyone with experience taking online classes try to explain how they're different than classes taken in person and whether or not they're harder? Do you think I would be fine taking Microeconomics or should I stick to the Government course where I feel confident I'll be able to do well?</p>
<p>In my online classes the content was placed onto a discussion board, just like this one, and we would have discussions about the course content each week. We would take quizzes and tests that would be placed online, and we turned in papers and homework online too. You have to be very organized in an online course because you don’t necessarily have a professor reminding you every class what is going on in the class, when tests are, or even explaining in detail about assignments. I did have one online professor who hardly helped us out at all the entire semester. She just assigned stuff and expected us to turn it on time. There weren’t a lot of discussions- except for everyone in the class asking each other for help because we never knew what was going on. For that class, taking an online class was a confusing experience.</p>
<p>Otherwise I had positive experiences with online classes. </p>
<p>As for which class to take, I would definitely take the class I felt the most confident about.
Do you have any other basic general education courses to take online? Like English 101? Those might be good courses to go ahead and get out of the way. </p>
<p>Just know that online courses do not automatically = an easy class.</p>
<p>I’m signed up to take several online classes this summer and I took one last year. I didn’t have any issues and I don’t expect any this year either. And yes, It’s easier to take gen eds online than upper level courses. I don’t see any reasons why not, as you’d be getting basic credits out of the way. Definitely stay organized and try not to get distracted on the internet (which I did).</p>
<p>Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!
@October47: I like the idea of taking other Gen Ed classes but they’re not listed like that on the website so I don’t know which ones I could take. I did email an adviser about it though so hopefully that’ll be an option. </p>
<p>So do you guys think that as someone who excels mainly in social science courses but also in the humanities (and math a bit), would econ be something that I would be able to do fine in online or should I wait to take it in person? I feel like with most subjects I can accurately judge how much instruction I need (in history, politics, english, etc I don’t need much, whereas in math or science I would need more interaction) but since I’ve never taken econ before I don’t know what I need…</p>
<p>I don’t think you’d have any trouble taking econ, especially if you’re only taking it with one or two other classes.</p>
<p>I’ve taken numerous online classes. Both in the summer and during the year. I love them, especially since I work 30+ hours per week during the school year and 40/50+ in the summer. It makes planning schedules so much easier. </p>
<p>The online format is hit or miss. Some profs are great some not so much. I like to pick classes, if I can, that have already had a year or so of online experience. </p>
<p>I have a really hard time paying attention during lectures so for me, they’re a lot easier. However, it’s REALLY easy to fall behind so make sure you stay on top of everything.</p>
<p>The one I’m currently taking consists of a weekly quiz (twenty questions over a chapter) and a weekly assignment. It’s the student’s job to use the textbook and additional materials posted online to prepare for those. I like the straight-forward, do it yourself approach, but the weekly tests got a little hard to keep up with in the beginning, especially during a busy week. It took me some time to get used to the pacing, but after that it went well. I like learning from textbooks and didn’t miss lectures. </p>
<p>The online format works best when replacing the large, lecture hall style classes. I wouldn’t recommend it as much for classes that are more discussion based or ones that will require more attention and help from the professor.</p>