Online Classes Online College Classes:

Online Classes

Online College Classes: Why they have More Positive than Negative Aspects

In most United States colleges and universities today, and increasingly worldwide as well, online learning (also known as distance education) is, like traditional "in person" classroom instruction, integral to many students' typical and ordinary educational experiences. In this essay, I will explore both the positive and negative aspects of online learning, or distance education, and argue that, although online learning is not perfect, its positive aspects outweigh its negative aspects. As a student who has taken regular classroom college courses and online college courses, it is my opinion that online courses are better because (1) they more flexible and convenient to a student's busy school and work schedule; (2) they allow the student to avoid transportation; commuting; and parking problem; and (3) they allow the student to meet a wide variety of other students, of all backgrounds, cultures, and ages; and (4) they allow the student to work independently and at his or her own pace, including (depending on classes and instructors) sometimes being able to work ahead on problems and/or assignments, and even finish a class early.

As Tucker points out, of online classes within today's higher education environment "Just about every major American university offers these courses." Within the United States today, a growing number of four-year universities operate just online, offering bachelor's, master's, and even doctorates in a number of areas of study. Some of these higher education institutions are the University of Phoenix; National University; and Western Governors' University. Williams, Paprock, and Covington also point out that: "An ever-changing worldview has prompted education, business [sic], industry, government, and healthcare to reengineer the way training and education are delivered" (p. 6).

Online higher education instruction is, perhaps, the most obvious and plentiful example of the phenomenon and worldview these authors describe. Other colleges and universities, while they still offer plenty of traditional classroom courses, featuring regularly-scheduled classes and face-to-face contact among teachers and students, are also currently expanding their online course and degree programs, based on student preferences, and in response to the popularity of the online courses that already exist at their institutions.

Fitzpatrick (2001) further observes that distance education as a course delivery method, as opposed regular classroom instruction, where a class meets at a regular time and place, can reach broader, more geographically, demographically diverse student audiences, and also can better address (due to its flexible nature) the various needs and time constraints of older working students; single working parents; students with disabilities, students who too live far from college campuses to take classroom courses, etc. Moreover, suggests Fitzpatrick, online instruction is a good instructional delivery method because it uses "the principles of modern learning pedagogy" ("Is Distance Education Better than the Traditional Classroom?").

I agree with Fitzpatrick about many of these positive aspects of online education, as opposed to traditional classroom education. As a student, I am busy, both with work and with my other classes, and I really appreciate the flexibility online learning is giving me. Being able to take classes online has made it possible for me also to complete classes that would not otherwise have fit into my hectic working schedule, if I had had to take them in a regular classroom setting.

Taking classes online instead of in a regular classroom also allows students like me to avoid transportation problems; commuting problems like accidents, construction, and heavy traffic; and parking problems (e.g., overcrowded parking lots). For students who live on campus, obviously, these issues will not be that important, but for those who live off-campus and who must commute often to their classes, and/or between school and work, much important and needed time for studying, working, and just relaxing with friends or by oneself is taken up with driving to classes; getting stuck in traffic sometimes, looking for parking spaces on campus, and then rushing to class.

Being able to take classes online helps students to save money on gas and other car expenses and to avoid campus parking fees (and hassles when there are few or no parking spaces). Not having to commute to school also saves wear and tear on a student's car. Also, many college and university students do not even own cars, but rely instead on public transportation. For these students, online classes can save us from having to wait a long time for buses, trains, or subways just to get to and from the campus.

Taking online classes also allows the student to meet a wide variety of other online students, of all backgrounds, cultures, and age groups. This is important for learning, and enriches the learning experience for all students. When I take online classes as opposed to regular classroom classes, for example, I often enjoy "meeting" many different classmates online who do not just live near my school, but who actually live all over the world and therefore, bring to the online classroom many different interesting personal and cultural experiences, for instance to our online chat rooms and/or discussion boards.

This helps me learn more and to develop broader learning perspectives, because I can read and think about everyone's unique and diverse ideas that are placed on discussion board postings and in our online chat room dialogues. In a regular classroom, I might have met some students like these, but I probably would not have met the wide variety of students of all different types, ages, nationalities, language backgrounds, etc., that I have met in my online classes.

Also, in traditional class discussions, some students will talk a lot and other, shyer students, including some international students (and/or just more introverted students) will have a harder time with personal expression and confident speaking. In my online classes, on the other hand, I can think about and then write my comments carefully and can take time with my word choices and grammar, so I am not at all self-conscious sharing my ideas with teachers and classmates. So, in general, in my online classes I have more participation than I do in my face-to-face classes. In my non-online courses, on the other hand, I still have my thoughts and ideas and desire to speak, but am more self-conscious, and a shy speaker. I think this is the same for some other students as well, who also prefer online classes.

Taking online classes as opposed to traditional ones also sometimes (depending on the class, teacher, and overall learning situation) allows the student to work independently, at his or her own pace, including (depending on classes and instructors) sometimes being able to work ahead on problems and/or assignments, and even finish a class early. This is important to me because of my busy work and school schedule, and also because, as a student with different strengths and weaknesses in vario0us academic areas, sometimes I like to work ahead of the class, and at other times, I like to work at a slower pace. Online learning is ideal for this, since everyone is studying and learning independently. Yes, there is a regular class pace in most online courses, like any other ones, with due dates, midterm exam date, final exam date, etc. But in some of my online classes, it is possible to finish one test or assignment and then move right on to the next one, without having to wait for the whole rest of the class to finish. This is great for me, when it happens (not all online courses are like this) because it allows me to work ahead in my strong subjects, and get that work completed, so I then have more time left over to devote to my weaker subjects.