I was just wondering if anyone here takes or has taken online classes.



What do you think of them? How would you say they compare to other classes?



(I'm adding a poll).

I took an online class because I needed a class and none of the in person ones that I had the pre-req's for fit into my schedule. It was through the university graduate program I was enrolled in (as opposed to say, the university of phoenix). I found there was a lot more reading for the online class than an in person one because instead of sitting there passively listening to conversations you had to actively read tons and tons of posts. Also, it took a while to understand the format of the class and how the professor was running it. Once I got into the groove it wasn't so bad. I might consider it again if it was a course I was very interested in, though I prefer the instant feedback and banter of an in person class.

I've never taken one, but I'll be teaching two sections of a hybrid course (half online, half traditional classroom) next semester. It should be interesting.



The feedback I've gotten from students about online classes they've taken has been mixed and seems to depend a lot on the subject, the instructor, and the student. I think some subjects probably lend themselves more to an online format, but that some subjects might be better suited for in-person discussion and interaction. Also, if the instructor spends a lot of time communicating with students and is available for questions, that makes a big difference. I've had some reports from students that they didn't like their online course because the instructor didn't give them much feedback or didn't respond to their e-mails promptly. Finally, for students to do well in the class, they have to be highly motivated because there won't be a teacher in front of them telling them what to do. This seems to prove challenging for some students.

I am taking one right now. My schedule for school was too full for both Spanish III and French I, so I am taking a French I class online. I have not had a problem so far!

i took one in my undergrad. it was boooring.



ebola

Some of my classes are "hybrid"; that is, some assignments require reading source documents the instructor posts online and responding to questions on a school message board.

I'm not disciplined enough to do an entire class online.

I found online classes way too easy to slack off in, but I never took one in my major or another topic Iwas interested in.

I've taken online classes in the past, for one of my law subjects. We'd still meet in the classroom most of the time though. I didn't really like it. Too many people talking at the same time, sometimes posting unnecessary messages.

I've taken several online courses, some better than others. The format worked for me because I am quite self-motivated and don't need to have a scheduled class to attend in order to actually do the work. In fact, I tend to do better when I do it on my terms, but I can see how others might prefer the physical classes.

I have taken them in the past. I think it depends on what the class is about, and who the teacher is. If its a bad teacher, its still a bad teacher. If its a good teacher it will show. In the past I have taken online classes for the following topics.



Japanese language. Horrible teacher,she made up words(my japanese friends had never heard them before.)



American sign language. Impossible! Very hard. Probley not near as hard if you have a teacher right there with you, but online it is incredably hard.



World religions. Teacher was very biased. Had good information, but since it was a morman teacher, she spent four times longer on that then the other religions.



History of western America. Only talked about washinton. not any of the other states.



so yeah, my exsperiounce with online classes wasn't very good. But as i said, it depends on the topic, and the teacher.



I much perfer to have a teacher right there, face to face, That way you can ask qeustions and get replys qwickly and the teacher can help you sort out any confusion you may have.

I took one last year. There were assigned readings, and the instructor then posted discussion questions on the web board. You had to post in the discussions a minimum of four times per week. There was also a research project that a mentor had to supervise, but we did not have to actually present our findings, just comment on our 'process.'



Overall? It was fine, I guess. The course was one that opened a lot of professional doors for me and in that respect was invaluable, but honestly, I could have learned as much from reading the book on my own. Still, I do not regret it as it is mandatory for certain jobs that I have it, and it really has opened doors for me.

I took an online computer class. Perfect kind of class. The homework guided us through exercises and you had to turn them in once a week, so you couldn't get behind.



There were forums and online practice quizzes and real quizzes. The teacher was good about interacting online frequently.



I can't see taking a class involving exchange of ideas unless everyone is really active in the discussion board and you know that people are actually reading the discussion. I also can't see taking the kind of class where you just have a bunch of assignments and one huge test at the end. I think I would get behind in that sort of course without regular lectures I had to be prepared for.

I took an online class in project management.

It was fine, but I do prefer being in a physical classroom. While I'm working though, it was much, much easier to fit into my schedule!!!

I chose "other" because I began an online course, but didn't complete it. I didn't mind it, but I wasn't that motivated to complete it. I'm much better at committing to be at a particular place at a particular time than I am to getting online to get more work done.



My wife has taken a couple of online classes that I've kind of "taken" with her. When the pressure to do it for myself was off, I enjoyed those classes.

I went to high school on the internet and really did enjoy it, however, once going to university and participating in so many discussion and participation based courses, i wouldn't know that I would go back.

I took an online class years ago and couldn't really keep up. There was soo much more reading than normal classes.

I took online classes for over two years, some classes were easier than others, but there was so much reading and tons of essays. You have to be very self disciplined for online college. It's really like teaching yourself. I quit with only four classes left for my associates, I found those 4 classes very hard to teach myself, I felt I needed a physical teacher to help me learn.



Most of the time I really enjoyed it because I am a homebody and loved the convenience of staying home.

I never have, but one of my instructors at CC cancelled classes often and gave us alternate online assignments. I hated them. I would never choose to take an online class. It bugs me that professors can bombard me w/ so many school projects and articles via email as it is. Plus we have this awful thing called blackboard, used by approx. half of the profs, that we have to log in to and check for crap to do and print out before class. The only good thing about blackboard is that we are able to check our exam grades sooner for those classes. Sometimes.



However, many people love them. I just don't have that personality.