Cyber Schools/Classes .vs. Regular Schools/Classes

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

Well, what says ye? I don't know how this is going out in Europe but here in the States online stuff is becoming a big deal.

 

[Ajidica]

I'm not a huge fan of online schools, but I can see how they would work better for some students.

 

[downtown]

It's kind of stupid to set this up as an either/or thing....it really depends on the needs and learning style of the particular student.

I worked for an online charter school in college, and for a particular kind of person, it would be awesome, far superior to a traditional schoolhouse environment (kids who were training for the Olympics, kids who needed to graduate at 16, kids who were pregnant, sick, etc). For other students, I think it would be a disaster, and it was.

An awful lot of very good traditional universities offer online coursework, some even for free (I'm taking a class on Operations Management through Warton via Coursea). A lot of very bad universities offer online coursework as well.

You have to be a smart consumer, figure out what you need, and then do some research. If you don't, a lot of people will be happy to take your money.

 

[Tahuti]

It's kind of stupid to set this up as an either/or thing....it really depends on the needs and learning style of the particular student.

True. But I prefer online learning over classes as that allows for more flexibility. I've often found the pace of traditional classes to be quite inconsistent.

 

[warpus]

A lot of employers, at least here in Canada, will not take you very seriously if you graduate from an online college as opposed to a regular University. Then again that does depend on what sort of job you are applying to and how competent of a candidate they are after. Someone who has an online degree can probably be paid a bit less, so that will work in your (dis)advantage as well

 

[BvBPL]

All other things being equal, I've generally found my online courses to be less worthwhile than my in person courses. But that can vary a great deal.

I completed my BA at a bricks and mortar public university, but I did take a lot of classes online. A large part of this was because I was enrolled as a continuing ed, part time student and many of the classes that were available to me, both in terms of being offered and the times when they were offered, were online.

I found online education at the university level to be a real mixed bag. I had some classes that had great success in providing me with education and some that didn't do as well. It varied a lot by teacher, and maybe some varied by course level. Towards the end of my undergrad career, I was frustrated by one class where the professor asked primarily for regurgitation of facts, rather than analysis. However, after the fact, I realized that the class in question was a lower level class and I had just been "spoiled" by the rigorous demands of my upper level work. So maybe the less demanding class was due to it being a lower level course.

I do think that online students face a problem making social connections with professors and other students. This is not insurmountable, but it is a problem that many students may be unaware of until they reach the point where they need those connections that they never fostered. My personal experience was one of needing an academic letter of recommendation, but the only professor I could go to was one I had taken an online class for the summer before. This was an awkward request on my part because I had never met the professor nor reached out to him other than this letter of recommendation. I found I had failed to foster a relationship that I didn't even realize was important at the time. I suspect I'm not alone in that occurrence.

Had this been a physical lecture, I would have made the connection with him without even trying by participating in class and the like.

However, this probably varies departmentally. It seems likely to me that, say, a computer science online course might inherently foster stronger relationships than a humanities course taken online. But i could be wrong in that assessment.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

It depends. I took online classes before I got all A's in (A ENG-102 I got A in the course which I was supirse because my grammar sucks as you people know + I thought she was going to be hard). Then I have other ones that actually were really tough and I am taking 4 online now and they not to easy but not hard, they in the middle. Only my online Art class is kinda tough, more so test wise not homework wise.

 

[Zack]

I thought online universities were basically scams.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

I thought online universities were basically scams.

Some are, like the University of Phoenix.

 

[The_J]

I'd always prefer a normal school. Online stuff just needs too much discipline. If you're sitting in front of your PC, and something else pops up, then it's not very likely that you'll get back to studying (unless there's high pressure). So it's a lot easier to waste your time and learn nothing. Which cannot happen that easily in a normal school.

I do think that online students face a problem making social connections with professors and other students. This is not insurmountable, but it is a problem that many students may be unaware of until they reach the point where they need those connections that they never fostered. My personal experience was one of needing an academic letter of recommendation, but the only professor I could go to was one I had taken an online class for the summer before. This was an awkward request on my part because I had never met the professor nor reached out to him other than this letter of recommendation. I found I had failed to foster a relationship that I didn't even realize was important at the time. I suspect I'm not alone in that occurrence.

I'd not only consider this in hindsight for possible recommendations, but also for everyday's social life. Because part of the fun is meeting new people, isn't it?

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

I'd always prefer a normal school. Online stuff just needs too much discipline. If you're sitting in front of your PC, and something else pops up, then it's not very likely that you'll get back to studying (unless there's high pressure). So it's a lot easier to waste your time and learn nothing. Which cannot happen that easily in a normal school.



I'd not only consider this in hindsight for possible recommendations, but also for everyday's social life. Because part of the fun is meeting new people, isn't it?

Well most people don't bother with me in RL so it doesn't matter what I take from a social standpoint.

 

[galdre]

no way are online classes as good as in person classes - most online classes have way too many students for the professor to hope to answer questions or interact with each one. A lot of these online classes are being set up where the students help each other instead of going to the professor with questions; the blind leading the blind.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

IMO in person classes are overrated anyhow.

 

[Zelig]

no way are online classes as good as in person classes - most online classes have way too many students for the professor to hope to answer questions or interact with each one. A lot of these online classes are being set up where the students help each other instead of going to the professor with questions; the blind leading the blind.

Well, like dt says, it really depends on circumstance.

I went to a small rural highschool with not many course options, so a handful of us took AP courses online. We'd conference with the teacher several times per week via webcam, with the largest class having five people in it.

 

[History_Buff]

I'm not a huge fan of online schools, but I can see how they would work better for some students.

This. I've got nothing against online learning as a thing, but it's not for most high-school/university students. Certainly I wouldn't want to learn that way.

My high school tried to offer a lot of online resources, and then giving kids tons of time to organize themselves and direct their own studies (though they didn't get to choose more than 10% of their credits of course, it being high school). To the surprise of almost nobody it was a complete catastrophe. The next several years were spent undoing that policy.

 

[Antilogic]

It's easier to let yourself get distracted with online courses than with regular work, especially if it's something you have little interest in but still need to complete your major. Plus, it's harder to ask questions and actively participate in an online class than it is in a regular one.

Since I gotta pick either/or in the poll, I'm voting with the traditional-style regular classes.

 

[TheLastOne36]

This. I've got nothing against online learning as a thing, but it's not for most high-school/university students. Certainly I wouldn't want to learn that way.

Pretty much this.

I had an online course and it was a horrible experience.

 

[Gamemaster77]

I'd always prefer a normal school. Online stuff just needs too much discipline. If you're sitting in front of your PC, and something else pops up, then it's not very likely that you'll get back to studying (unless there's high pressure). So it's a lot easier to waste your time and learn nothing. Which cannot happen that easily in a normal school.

Unless you're genuinely interested in what you are learning.

 

[ace99]

They better have cyberbullying too.

 

[Tee Kay]

Online stuff can only at best complement regular face-to-face interactions, not replace it.