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A student sits at a desk taking notes, occasionally watching the clock, a million things running through her mind. Another student sits at a desk at the same time. Knowing a certain thing that has to be done, she gets up from her desk with the promise to return later that evening. The difference: one student is enrolled in online courses. While regular campus courses provide a great education with a friendly-learning environment, online-courses can aid a student in a fast-paced, independent education.
Being enrolled in a campus course requires the student to attend scheduled classes that the school decides. The student’s choices in class times and when to work on assignments are extremely limited. Class times may fall at a time when one must work, or they may fall at the only time it is convenient for one to spend time with friends and family. Attendance can become a big issue as professors only allow a certain number of absent days before the student fails. Campus classes offer social interaction that can help a student with the course.
In class the students get to hear the opinions and theories of other students and also get the chance for their opinions to be heard. The student’s professor will be able to convey much information in lectures and be able to interact with the students face-to-face. Online courses do not have a scheduled time, so the student is not limited as to when to access the class. Online classes provide the student with more freedoms to work, vacation, and spend time with friends and family.
These courses allow freedoms to work at the student’s own pace, as long as all assignments are turned in and on-time. Students attending these classes can still communicate with the other students over e-mail and message boards, but it makes reading emotions in heated discussions a bit more difficult. The professor is always available and can usually be reached through e-mail or in his or her office at the school campus. There is no commute to school so there is no transportation necessary.
A stable Internet hook-up is required, and a power failure or hitting the ‘submit’ button at the wrong time could jeopardize your grade. It takes highly motivated and self-disciplined students to successfully complete an online course. With so much freedom, it is easy for a student to “do it later” or brush it off. Online courses are fast-paced and require just as much attention as any other class would. Whichever road a student decides to take in college, both are extremely important.
Students get the same material through either class; it just depends on how and when they want to obtain that material. Continuing an education through college is a very important entity to many high school students. Some of the same top professors of a university instruct campus classes as well as online classes. A college degree is a college degree no matter how a student obtained it. It simply matters what type of course is best for the student.