Online college courses

Celebi03
Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
in Chit-Chat
Wondering if anyone here on MFP has taken or is taking online college classes, and how is your experience thus far? Also, I want to know if there is any disadvantage with taking online courses. I know this isn't ask.com but I'm sure there has to be some people who have taken online classes here. thanks :wink:

Replies

  • cosmic8o8
    cosmic8o8 Posts: 131 Member
    I have taken lots of online classes. You have to have the discipline to keep up with your classes. It's really easy to get sidetracked with tv, internet, etc. when you don't have to physically be in class. I take online classes if I can't find a regular class that fits my schedule. I've done Chemistry, Physics, Trig, Geology, Astronomy, and Anthropology online. No real issues. Regular classes are better for students who need lots of teacher interaction.
  • labeachgirl
    labeachgirl Posts: 158 Member
    I think doing your general education is ok with online classes, but I would take classes that are for your major in person. Your professors may be your link to getting a job, like mine was when I was about to graduate.
  • Salt_Sand_Sun
    Salt_Sand_Sun Posts: 415 Member
    I've taken a lot of online classes. My 2nd degree and undergrad cert were both 100% online. Its great b/c you can go to school whenever YOU have time. But.... you have to be very very self disciplined. You have to be very good with time management and staying motivated. Some classes are much easier to take than others. For me any math based course was mind torture. It was hard to "self teach" and not see examples on a big blackboard. But other classes were easy peasy. And alot has to do with your instructor and your classmates.

    Overall I had a great experience. Being a full time govt employee, mom of 2 and wife.... I didn't have time to physcially go to school. It was great to do it after the kids went to bed, my lunch hour or whenever I wanted to go.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    Yes I actually got my BA from AMU (APU). I was AD and went to college full-time (online)...I enjoyed them better then physically going to class.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I have taken lots of online classes. You have to have the discipline to keep up with your classes. It's really easy to get sidetracked with tv, internet, etc. when you don't have to physically be in class. I take online classes if I can't find a regular class that fits my schedule. I've done Chemistry, Physics, Trig, Geology, Astronomy, and Anthropology online. No real issues. Regular classes are better for students who need lots of teacher interaction.

    Exactly. I work in educaiton and specifically in developiong online conten for courses. I also completed my Bachelors and I am working on my Masters fully online. For me, with a very busy life, it was a Godsend to be able to do this all from home. Still hard work, but great quality overall. Of course, you only get out what you put into it.
  • kaylaandthestarcatcher
    kaylaandthestarcatcher Posts: 836
    The last time I took an online class, I forgot that I was taking it.

    I failed.

    No more online classes for me!
  • krhodem
    krhodem Posts: 17
    I've taken them and was successful when I remembered that I was in them and logged in everyday....

    I too almost failed one because I forgot I had signed up for it. At the end of the semester, the professor emailed me to ask if I knew I was in it....having to do 3 months of work in 2 weeks was not fun at all.

    They definitely require discipline but they're nice cause you don't have to sit in class all day.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    I think it really depends on the subject and if you need to have a teacher in person. I have taken a few semesters of online classes and maintained a 4.0 GPA. You have to be very disciplined and be able to learn things on your own with very little teacher interaction.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I have done some online and some on campus. I found online classes worked best for non-technical stuff (English, history, philosophy, classes focused on memorization) and not as well for "technical" stuff (programming classes, upper level statistics, etc.). If it's a class where you can read and understand the material from a textbook, online is fabulous. If it's something where you're likely to need (or want) help/explanations beyond what's in the book, on campus is better. Plus everything people said about being disciplined and all that (but that's not an issue for me).
  • goldmay
    goldmay Posts: 258 Member
    I've taken a ton of online classes, and they're great if you can manage your time well, but they also have some drawbacks depending on your learning style. I like lectures, so I usually supplement every textbook reading with videos I find online. Sometimes I have to spend more time studying for online classes than in-person classes to really understand the material. In-person classes are also nice because you can have face-to-face conversations with professors if you have a lot of questions, whereas online they're usually only reachable by email. Also if all of your exams are open-book and online, you might not retain as much information.

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