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Online classes: Do the pros outweigh the cons?

Online classes: Do the pros outweigh the cons?

Posted By: admin Posted On 4 Aug 2015

So you’re debating enrolling in an online class or maybe you’re forced into taking one because the class is a required pre-requisite and online class is the only option.

For those of you, who have both options, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of online classes. Here they are.

Pros

Availability

The great thing about online classes is its ability to enroll more students. Many pre-requisite classes are hard to get into because all students need to take them; therefore, if you have a late enrollment date that one required class you to take may be full.

If you are lucky your college offers the class you desperately need online so you don’t have to wait another semester to complete the credits you need to move forward.

Flexibility

I love the flexibility of online classes. You never have to worry about missing a class (or being late for a night out because it ends late). It’s there whenever you have time.

Of course there will probably be deadlines you have to meet each week, such as posting and commenting in online discussions, quizzes and sometimes exams. My suggestion is to set alerts on your calendar to remind you when assignments are due.

Although the course load may be extremely time-consuming, look at the bright side. You don’t have to go to campus, and you never miss a good time with your friends.

Performance

According to this article on the New York Times’ website, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.

I think this pro speaks for itself. Students taking online classes, on average, outperform those enrolled in offline classes.

Cons

Relationship building

Online classes make it extremely difficult to make friends. You obviously meet a wider variety of people in offline classes. I love meeting new people so this would definitely be a con for me. If you tend to isolate then this is a positive.

Larger work load

Workloads will definitely vary, but in my experience my online classes had a much longer syllabus of assignments than my offline ones.

(Of course this wouldn’t matter to you if you had Online Class Helpers take your class for you.)

Demands discipline

Disciplining yourself especially in college can very well be impossible. In your regular classes, you’ll be forced to face your professor, and try to explain why you didn’t do the work.

If you can’t focus then I do not suggest taking an online class. Of course if an online class is your only option then I suggest you hire an expert to take your online class.