Comments on: Grading the virtual classroom

By: tegan pitt

tegan pitt — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:23:46 +0000

It is interesting to me that even school such as Harvard have some form of online classes. I think they can be good if you are a busy parent or working a majority of the week. However if you are able to be a student, I do not think online classes are the way to learn. I have taken two and I took them because I needed units and knew they would be easy. They were. Being in classroom environment not only teaches you interaction, but it also teaches you time management. Two very important things in the working world. Online classes are a way to ease back into school or earn a credit or two, but I don’t believe they are a way to earn a degree.

By: Jim Willis

Jim Willis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:23:43 +0000

Online courses seem to be gaining momentum in a lot of schools. It will be interesting to see what the relative popularity of online vs. onsite courses will be. You can’t get the in-person social interaction from online courses that you can from an on-campus experience, of course.

By: Brianna Brownbridge

Brianna Brownbridge — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:57:44 +0000

Online courses are the only reason I have been able to continue to be a full time student. I have a 7 month old son and am in my last semester of college at APU taking 5 online courses! Online courses are definitely more difficult and require a great amount of self discipline but I couldn’t be more thankful for them. They very convenient and allow many, like myself, to attain a college degree while working and or being a parent.

By: Karen Kenderes

Karen Kenderes — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:17:11 +0000

A lot of the world today is becoming technologically driven. That is why so many of the classrooms are bringing online options into play. Having sites such as Blackboard make it easy for students to turn in assignments without wasting ink and paper. It also makes it easy for professors to grade papers without misplacing them or confusing them with another class. All in all, the online aspect of courses helps to organize everything. The option of taking a class solely online is also very helpful because it has allowed me to take more credits in the actual classroom. I am able to complete the online material on my own time instead of having a set time I have to show up to class. The way universities are run is definitely transforming, and in my opinion, it is for the better.

By: Perry Hawkins

Perry Hawkins — Fri, 07 May 2010 05:28:14 +0000

My online classes have been fairly easy. I wasn’t even impressed with the Apu classes I had to take online. These classes, as stated in the article where very impersonal. I agreed strongly with the drawbacks and positives of online courses. I think the entire idea on online courses still has much room to improve. The mediums of facebook, blogs, myspace, and chat rooms have been fairly successful.

By: shane henry

shane henry — Wed, 05 May 2010 03:58:28 +0000

I remember the first time I heard about “online classes”. My aunt who was in her thirties was going back to school to get her Masters…but online. This was easier for her because she has three sons, is a single mom, and is already teaching full time. Now she was able to go to school when she was able to; whether it was six in the morning or midnight, it did not matter. However, until reading this blog I was unaware that colleges can be offering courses even if the college is not accredited. It is important to make sure the college is accredited because otherwise your degree might not even really count. Many people are unaware that colleges can offer courses while not being accredited. Colleges are using this to their advantage. They will market people who have not been in school for awhile so their knowledge on issues like this is not up to par. It is important to do your homework on online classes before you start doing the homework for the online classes.

By: Monica DeLong

Monica DeLong — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:02:03 +0000

Online classes and online universities is a foreign concept to me. I have taken one online class during my four years in college. I have to say I did not like it. I would forget about the class during the week unless I was at my computer taking a quiz or reading the lecture. While other classes that I would attend I found myself thinking about the class and material learned in the class. I realize I enjoy the classroom time to learn and engage with other students and the professor. I did not know that some people obtain their degrees purely from online classes. I think this would be difficult and it would be a completely different approach to learning. I think there is an aspect to learning that is community based and that this communal aspect is essential for learning. I have found that through discussions and classroom time at college I find that other ideas are a spring board to my own, as well as an avenue to think and learn in a completely different way than individual. I think there can be a positive aspect to online classes, however there is something to be gained from attending classes in person.

By: Shaun Sinift

Shaun Sinift — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:36:41 +0000

Online classes are an interesting phenomenon to me. I have taken a total of three online classes (one which I am currently in) throughout my college experience. In just those three classes, I have had a range of awful to great. I completely agree with this post that it largely depends on the professor. My awful experience was due to a professor who rarely appeared to be “in” the class and was terrible at communicating otherwise. This is definitely a risk when taking an online class, but the convenience and accessibility (depending on the internet reliability) can’t be beat. In my positive experiences of online classes, I will say that I learned just about as much as I would have if I had been in a traditional classroom. It is largely about the professor, but it also has to do with what the student is willing to put into it.

By: Amy Rich

Amy Rich — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:04:13 +0000

Talking about the business of online classrooms is not my usually conversation starter, however, I have had an increasing number of fellow students mention them here and there. For me online classes are not all that exciting. I already have to perform most of my college course work staring at a computer screen, so I value in-class lectures (of course it certainly helps when the class is engaging and enthusiastic but that is beside the point). Since I have become a college student, I have recently taken note and asked questions on certain online classes. For the most part the responses I receive are less than enthusiastic about the whole idea. For example, “Only take an online course if you plan to complete a ton of busy work”, or “you need a lot of discipline to stay dedicated to online classes”. And in the end the online class is not as fulfilling as one would be in a regular setting. I have decided to take two online courses next term but not because I want to, I’m really just trying to make room in my schedule to work more and add more classes so I’m able to take more units. When I hear of certain people gaining degrees from all online schools such as University of Phoenix, it tells me the schooling actually works, but it just doesn’t seem professional to me. If I were an employer I would take someone who actually went to a real University over and online degree just because of the physical commitment. Although, that is not to say anything bad about online degrees because I believe they are a great system for full-time workers to gain a great education.

By: Chris Feicht

Chris Feicht — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:09:41 +0000

I feel like the Online Classroom is great. Both for taking entire programs for a degree and if you just want to take one or two classes online. I feel like this has really helped a lot of people be able to go back to school and get their degree or just finish school as well. With this new way of doing school we have opened up a multitude of options for people with very little time to go back to school and fit it into their schedules. I feel like this has also helped out the college student as well because it gives the every day college student the chance to free up some more hours during their day so maybe they could go get a job while they are at school or so that they can play sports while they are at school. I feel like the pros out weigh the cons by a lot because there are so many great things that the online classroom does for teachers and students. For example it saves paper which in turn helps our environment. Teachers can post grades faster, can send out notes, messages, power points etc. So in the end the online classroom is one of the great advantages we have discovered.