This weeks blog post I find very relatable to my school life because I in fact have taken many online courses here at Ole Miss. In the courses that I took, I have found great successes. Honestly I prefer online classes rather than in the classroom for a few reasons. One, being that I have serious ADHD and for me to sit in a class for an hour and a half is very difficult for me. With online learning, I can go about my week at my own pace choosing when I want to work on school and when I need to go do another activity. Two, I just dislike going to class. I think it is easier to just follow the lessons each week on blackboard and complete the work. I believe going to class now (certain classes) is a waste of time for the teacher and the student because half the time no one is actually paying attention in class. The only down side to taking an online course is it is very easy to fall behind on work if you are not keeping up with it everyday and checking your blackboard. Once you fall behind on a quiz or an assignment it is very hard to catch up. Also something that was difficult for me was that for one of my online classes, my teacher was in Nashville and not even living in oxford. So for me to ask questions, I would have to video chat her, which was not only awkward, but it was not really a face to face interaction. I feel like I am totally more motivated to complete work online rather than in the class. Like I said before, I like to chose when I do my school work.
Also, having online classes allows older men and women to take college courses and work toward getting a degree if they never completed theirs when they were younger, or just never did it. With a family and a job, it would be hard for someone to go to school during the week, so this provides a good alternative.
Like we have talked about continuously in this course, technology is advancing, so we must get with the program. Online courses are great in my opinion and I enjoy taking them when I have the opportunity to. The world is evolving and this may be the next big thing so with that being said, I would give them a shot!
Great points. Going to class to hear a professor lecture is largely a waste of time (unless they’re a really engaging speaker and it’s interactive). I think you are right that the most effective learning environments take advantage of their affordances: being able to spread work out and have a flexible schedule is a huge selling point of online courses. Online courses that are too rigid (with deadlines, calendars, etc) lose that edge.