Student Opinion

Imagine you’re a busy college student — juggling work, family, friends, extra-curricular activities. On top of all that, you have bills to pay. Students with a busy lifestyle barely have enough time to breathe, much less juggle a demanding oncampus college schedule. In this mix, where does school fit in? Online courses are the answer to a busy schedule. Online courses allow you to work on classes whenever you have spare time, in the comfort of your own home. Are online courses a good idea? I say, “Yes,” because students with jobs finally have a chance to be in school and work toward a career.
— Kelly Seybert

Time is precious, and education is priceless. That makes an online class a really valuable tool for a student — especially one who is working full-time.

Most students prefer online classes to traditional lectures. Working online, they can study whenever and wherever they want. That fl exibility is most important — geographic flexibility and the convenience of working toward a degree at anytime without sacrificing anything in life.

Online courses provide plenty of opportunities to contact a professor, who can immediately respond to a question or provide other feedback. And it is easier for a shy student to express views and ideas online, where there is no pressure from peers or professors. Some universities even have accelerated courses online, a great benefit for good students with tight schedules. Those schedules loosen even more when you consider the time saved by avoiding hectic traffic jams and eliminating those desperate searches for an empty parking space.

Count me as one student who appreciates the value of online courses.
— Kopila Gopali

Online courses are great for a number of reasons. You can take a full load of regular classes and add an online course to boost your credit hours. That’s a faster path to a degree. Essentially, you can earn your degree in your own self-paced class, sitting at home.

However, there is a downside to online courses — teaching yourself all the material. You won’t have a teacher giving you a lecture. You can e-mail questions, but that’s about it. You really have to be on top of your work. If you tend to procrastinate in your regular classes, you are likely to fail an online course.
— Oscar Bissot