Are Online College Courses Easier?
There is a rumor going around the education industry that online courses are easier than traditional classroom courses. Some people state they barely put forth an effort and still pass their online classes. There was a stigma about online education created a few years ago which agreed with this exact statement. Schools like University of Phoenix, Kaplan, and Devry were actually frowned upon by certain employers. They didn’t want to recruit graduates from these schools because they were known as “online schools”. Since then, the perception on an online degree has definitely changed. More students are going back to school than ever before, and many of them are doing it online. In this article we are going to discuss some of the major differences between online and on-campus classes and why online courses are not easier.
Going back to school can be a daunting task. Most people already have enough going on in their lives, let alone adding an extra 20 hours a week for education. Contrary to popular belief, online classes tend to be more difficult to most people who have done both online and traditional classes. Students state online classes need more attention, dedication, and motivation to be successful in them. They argue there is no one telling you when to log in and complete your assignments so it is easier to forget about them. In a traditional class you have to attend class at least once a week, sometimes more. The professor requires you to show up for their lecture or you lose participation points. In an online course everything is virtual-based, including your classmates and professors. You typically never meet any of them. So what is the motivation to do well in your group work if you are never going to have to answer to your group face-to-face? This is just one dilemma an online student faces.
The content is the same. For the majority of online classes the content taught in the class is the same exact content as you would learn sitting in a classroom. So how can online classes be easier if this is the case? You do not get to meet your professor or classmates, but are held to the same standards as a student who gets that face-to-face interaction on a weekly basis. Online courses are typically more reading and writing than a traditional class and have less interaction with others. The students who prefer online courses like the flexibility and convenience, but the majority of them do not think they are “easier” than a traditional course on campus.