Pros and Cons of Online Education
There are many things to consider when deciding to go back to school. What school should you attend? What degree should you seek? How am I going to balance my family, work, and school all at the same time? These are just a few. Above all, one must decide whether to attend a traditional campus program or an online degree program. There are some major differences between the two, but there are also some similarities. It is recommended to first check your daily schedule. Do you have time to drive to campus once or twice a week and attend a lecture? How far is the school from your house? These are important questions, because the answers may eliminate on campus programs right away.
Some of the benefits of attending class in person include: face to face interaction with the professor, live discussions, ability to ask questions on a specific subject, and it is usually easier to work in a group setting. Remember, online education offers many of the same features; they are just implemented a little differently. Questions, chats, and group work are done entirely online through chat rooms and emails. Some consider this a disadvantage of online learning since they prefer to work with their classmates in person. Other students are visual learners and need to be in a lecture hall watching and listening to the professor. This could pose a problem for online learners.
A couple major benefits of online degree programs are the flexibility and convenience you receive while in a class. Most of the time a student does not need to log in and complete their work at any specific time. A student can email their professor their assignment at either 5 a.m. or 5 p.m. This is very important when it comes to full-time working adults with families. Another benefit of doing an online classes is being able to complete your work from anywhere in the world. You do not have to drive to campus, park, or walk to class. This saves time and money.
Time management is important whether you are taking classes online or in a classroom. One major difference is if you are attending a campus based program you have a schedule for when you need to be on campus to sit for a lecture. Online courses do not typically have such a schedule. Online students have to manage their own time and log in throughout the week to complete their assignments. This could become tedious for some.