Online courses work

Taking college classes online is a great alternative to a traditional classroom education. Laney College offers a large number of general education and elective courses for students online. Many students benefit from the flexibility of study time that they don't have with regularly scheduled classes.

A lot of instructors offer up the entire semester's work at the beginning of the course. Students can go through assignments at their convenience and turn in work weekly, as well as having the luxury of open-book exams.

Lectures can be downloaded and access to grades and teacher feedback is often posted in the teacher's online web page for the course.

It generally depends on to the student's individual needs whether or not they find online classes beneficial. While it may seem that online classes could have the potential to be easier because of flexibility, it takes more motivation to learn independently, and there is an equal amount of study time required in order to keep up with the coursework.

Without the benefit of being in the classroom and bonding with the instructor and peers, students may find it a bit lonely learning behind their computer at home. There is no immediate access to the instructor to ask questions or converse about the subject matter, and the social aspect of having friends in class to exchange notes and group up with for studying is absent.

In online classes, there are forums provided for group discussions and assignments; however, unless the entire class is online at the same time, you won't have the benefit of an entire class discussion, as there may be only a handful of students logged on and simultaneously participating.

So, if you are a busy adult, have a disciplined demeanor and desire the flexibility of working at your own pace, online classes may be for you. For people who travel a lot or have a hectic work schedule online courses can be useful because you can access your coursework anywhere you go.

However, for the new college student adjusting to the heavy workload of general education courses, being in the classroom would probably be better.

Nothing can beat the bond between peers and instructors, and being in the structured environment that the classroom offers is a huge plus for any high school graduate or young returning student.