2008 Woodie Awards
Online vs On Campus
Trisha Finster
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Although on-line classes grant students great advantages, I preferred being an on-campus student.
In the past four and a half years at Lakeland I have experienced different things. One of the opportunities I experienced this past semester was going from a full time day student with an occasional online class to a full time online student.
I t was not easy being an online student. It took a lot of self discipline. The self discipline needed for online classes seemed to be a little more demanding than the discipline required for on-campus classes because it was more about going online a minimum of four times a week.
The online classes consist of going to the blackboard site Lakeland has set up and logging in. Participation in discussions is required for credit in the online classes.
I was so used to sitting in actual classrooms at Lakeland and only talking when I really knew the answers. However, online classes require students to do research and process the discussions. This was difficult for me because at there is no internet hook up at my mother's house. So, I had to plan extra travel time to get to my "classroom," the library.
The courses online are supposed to be just like an in-class course, but are set up in a different manner. For example, in my core III: global conflict course the professor divided us up into groups for a discussion.
We had to interview two people from different countries and write a review on it. We also had to watch movies and do reviews on them. I definitely had to use self discipline in considering I don't work so well with conflicts.
Being an online student was difficult at times because I came to miss the daily campus life. I honestly missed going to meetings and classes. However, I knew that being a full-time online student was probably one of the best choices for me.
I learned how to balance time for work, my internships and my online courses. I also managed to graduate with a gpa above a 3.0.
I feel the two biggest differences between taking classes as an online student and an on campus student are the daily interactions with other students and friends and the face to face connection with professors.
The things you need to succeed in an online course are self discipline, a computer with internet and an email account. If you have all that you'll be set. But don't say I didn't warn you.
In the past four and a half years at Lakeland I have experienced different things. One of the opportunities I experienced this past semester was going from a full time day student with an occasional online class to a full time online student.
I t was not easy being an online student. It took a lot of self discipline. The self discipline needed for online classes seemed to be a little more demanding than the discipline required for on-campus classes because it was more about going online a minimum of four times a week.
The online classes consist of going to the blackboard site Lakeland has set up and logging in. Participation in discussions is required for credit in the online classes.
I was so used to sitting in actual classrooms at Lakeland and only talking when I really knew the answers. However, online classes require students to do research and process the discussions. This was difficult for me because at there is no internet hook up at my mother's house. So, I had to plan extra travel time to get to my "classroom," the library.
The courses online are supposed to be just like an in-class course, but are set up in a different manner. For example, in my core III: global conflict course the professor divided us up into groups for a discussion.
We had to interview two people from different countries and write a review on it. We also had to watch movies and do reviews on them. I definitely had to use self discipline in considering I don't work so well with conflicts.
Being an online student was difficult at times because I came to miss the daily campus life. I honestly missed going to meetings and classes. However, I knew that being a full-time online student was probably one of the best choices for me.
I learned how to balance time for work, my internships and my online courses. I also managed to graduate with a gpa above a 3.0.
I feel the two biggest differences between taking classes as an online student and an on campus student are the daily interactions with other students and friends and the face to face connection with professors.
The things you need to succeed in an online course are self discipline, a computer with internet and an email account. If you have all that you'll be set. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Samuel
posted 11/16/07 @ 8:30 AM CST
This article stressed desipline as one of the major differences between online and on campus classes. While I would agree with this difference between the two types of classes, I have personnally found that while making the adjustments to online classes most students experience a lag in assignments. (Continued…)
Takayuki
Takayuki
posted 11/19/07 @ 4:20 AM CST
I liked this article!
Since I haven't taken any online courses by this time, the discription told me the pros and cons for taking online courses as well. (Continued…)
Post a Comment