 Discover
How Online College Classes Work
by Timothy D. Arnold
It's no secret that more and more people are looking
to the internet for a convenient way to further their education. Online
classes are a great way to obtain an accredited college degree from home
and continue to work a full time job. Many times a student can attend
classes from their computer and schedule those classes around their job.
Some schools allow the student to login to a class at their convenience.
Imagine taking a class from the comfort of your own home and not having
to deal with parking problems, child care, lunch, or transportation expenses.
You can also get an online degree from top, accredited online colleges
and online schools that may not be available in your local area. An
online education is also a great option for non-traditional students,
the handicapped, people in remote areas, and people with a full-time
job or a schedule that doesn’t allow for a traditional education.
Distance education can be delivered in several ways. We will examine
two of the many ways education can be delivered via the internet.
One of the most common is through live media. In this type of online
classroom, students typically login to a chat room type environment
that allows not only for text chat but also live audio chat, similar
to many of the popular “instant messaging” programs that
are widely used today. The lecture can be heard through the computer
speakers or through a set of headphones. The students communicate with
the teacher and other students by text chat or simply by talking into
a PC microphone. The teacher can also allow students to view him/her
in a smaller window on the monitor via a webcam. The lecture can also
be recorded and posted to the school website to allow students to listen
to the lecture and review the material at a later time according to
their schedule, and as many times as necessary. This type of online
class makes it necessary to be at the computer at a scheduled time
each day.
One advantage to this type of online college classroom environment
is the student receives live instruction with structured classes. It
is well known that students working within in a structured setting
have a higher probability of success of finishing their degree. An
obvious disadvantage would be lack of scheduling flexibility.
Another variation of the online classroom setting involves text messages
such as email and message boards. Each class may share a group mailbox
or a message board system, which becomes the "electronic classroom".
The instructor generally posts lectures on the topic of study, posts
the assignments, and provides discussion questions related to the topic.
The student can view lectures, notes from the instructor and other
students, and assigned projects. The student can also post messages
or questions to the instructor and other students.
One advantage of this system is 24 hour access to course materials
and the ability to work at one's own pace without regard to scheduling.
A disadvantage would be lack of direct contact with the instructor.
In both scenarios students are expected to logon to the class site
a certain number of days per week. Students also can contact the instructor
via e-mail to ask questions or receive answers. When assignments are
due, students send them to the instructor online or by email, where
they are graded and returned. Students may also have access to their
individual performance reports by logging in to a website where that
information is posted. Test may also be taken online. Typically, online
classes last five to six weeks.
Although the degree of difficulty is the same for the online classroom
as in a traditional setting, the internet has broken down many barriers
and is providing educational opportunities for people worldwide that
were not previously thought possible.
About the Author
Tim Arnold has recruited online students for http://www.acit.com and
also recruits students via his online college portal http://www.all-college-degrees.com
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