In praise of online education

The semester is now underway, effective yesterday, and I have a stack of books on my coffee table that I must hit in short order. However, this doesn't mean I'll be schlepping across campus with a backpack, or even visiting campus on a regular basis. Yes I go to class all the time, pretty much seven days a week - I just do it online.

When I started back to school in the fall of 2006 I decided to give online education a try. At the time my main reason was the lack of stability in the work schedule of my old job. I didn't think I could count on having the same days off each week for a whole semester. Another reason was the time it takes to drive to and from campus - I realized that if it I didn't have to allow for commuting time, I'd have enough extra study time to take another class.

What I didn't count on was totally loving the online class format.

What's so great about online classes? Well, there's flexibility and convenience, as discussed above. Online classes are also environmentally friendly. Yes, my computer uses electricity but it would be on anyway so that's a wash, and by not commuting to campus I am avoiding adding tons of carbon to the atmosphere. Some online classes don't even have texts - all required readings are posted online, no paper needed. Another reason is simply a personal perk - I love 'going to class' in my sweats and slippers. Also, the student population of online courses is more diverse than traditional classrooms. I have taken classes with working professionals, grandparents, single parents, adult learners, teenagers, even soldiers deployed all around the world. Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, the level of student participation is much higher in online classes than in traditional classrooms.

Huh? How's that?

It's because in most of the online classes I've taken, participation is required and a large percentage of your course grade depends on taking part in class discussions. These are done via a threaded discussion board on which the instructor poses questions and the students must answer them and then respond to other students' answers. This tends to generate some lively discussions as different perspectives and relevant experiences are shared. Another great thing about online discussions is since they are not limited by available class time, discussions may be allowed to continue until they reach a natural conclusion. How often have you been sitting in a class and just as the discussion gets really interesting, the instructor has to call a halt because time has run out? Not a problem in online classes.

I was a little concerned at first about the quality of education in online classes, but then I read a study done at Harvard that compared online classes to traditional classes and found that overall the quality of education in online classes was equal or superior to that of traditional classes. I felt a lot better about my classes after reading that study.

What about researching papers, you may wonder? Aren't trips to campus to use the library unavoidable? Not anymore. One of the biggest changes during my 20-odd year absence from school is the development of online library databases. All I do is log into the school library system and I can do just about any research I need to right from my own computer. When I find what I need I just e-mail it to myself and then print it if I need hard copy.

So far I have completed my Associate of Arts degree by taking online courses through a local community college. I then transferred those credits to a state-supported four-year university and am now working on my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. I am hoping to find a good online Masters program so I can continue this pattern. The main problem lies in making sure that the school is respectable and accredited. I cringe whenever I hear someone say they are taking classes through a school that advertises on late-night television, because so often these schools are total rip-offs. Fortunately traditional universities are making serious advances in their online programs, so the options and opportunities are improving.

The main traits students need to be successful in online classes are organization, attention to detail, self-discipline, and the ability to motivate oneself and stay on track without continual reminders from an instructor. Again, it's a great fit for adult learners who know the importance of education and appreciate the enormous gift of returning to school.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler

Later,
AuntieM