Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Classes

Written in 2013

In this post, I’m talking about the advantages and disadvantages of online classes. This will be based off my experience.

Advantages

1. I don’t have to go on campus. It is entirely online. I will have to go on campus for graduation. Some schools are hybrids meaning you may have to go on campus for a certain amount of time in addition to being online. Not having to go on campus saves me gas money too. Also, because the program is entirely online I can be at home or at the library and technically be “in class”.

2. I am the type of person where I can’t sit and listen to a teacher lecture the whole time. I actually have a hard time focusing if I’m listening to someone talk for long periods of time. So another advantage is that I can go at my pace. For instance, most of my lessons are like slideshows. Some are ten pages long and some are twenty pages long. It’s easier for me to just read the slideshow and then start on the assignment. It is different in a classroom.

3. You make your schedule. There is no set time to be in class. Also, my professors have virtual class but it’s once a week and it’s optional. The virtual class is basically when everyone meets, like an online conference call, and discusses the assignment for that week. If I am unable to make it I can watch the video another day because the teacher records the meeting and saves it.

4. I’m not sure about other schools but most of my reading material is videos, pdfs, or PowerPoint presentations/slideshow. I only have two books so far that Full Sail has sent in the mail and the cost is included in my tuition. So I don’t have to actually go out to a bookstore or try to figure out which books I will need for class.

(This is not necessarily an advantage but for my program the grades don’t  come from knowing the material but the assignments. This program is focused on teaching me the skills I will need in my field.)

 Disadvantages

1. There is no face-to-face interaction. I felt weird when my classes first started because I met my teacher through email. If you want to actually meet people in person, this will be difficult to adjust to. I was frustrated at one time because I tried to email my professor and she didn’t email me until a couple of days later. However, all teachers are not like this; I do have some teachers that will email me the same day.

2. You have to stay motivated. With online classes, there will still be deadlines. I have a deadline every Wednesday and Sunday, every week. If you are not disciplined or motivated, you will start to procrastinate and do assignments at the last minute. There will be no one there to tell you when assignments are due. In a classroom, the teacher has the opportunity to encourage or scold the students but with online you have to be the one to stay on top of the work.

3. Time management. This ties in with the last point. You will definitely have to manage your time because you will have other responsibilities. Once something is due, it is due. Some teachers may extend the deadline but don’t go into a class hoping they do. Plus, with my program they let us know that they expect us to act in a professional manner and meet all the deadlines. Not meeting deadlines, just like in a classroom, will lower your grade. Also, because it’s a program that focuses on skills most of my time is spent doing assignments.

4. You will need Internet access, obviously. You want to make sure you will be able to get on the Internet. When school first started, I had to go to the library and wherever there was Wi-Fi because I don’t have Internet where I live. This became tiring. Eventually, I bought a Verizon jetpack. This allows me to have Wi-Fi at my house.