I am about to start fulltime internet courses?

Question

From your experience is it harder or easier to get your credits this way?

to clarify this isnt an internet university or i woldnt be doing this, this is a local college that offers both, and I may mix it up, but it shows no different on your manuscript.

Answer 1

I attend the same type of school. My local junior college offers courses online also. Here area few pointers that I have:

Try to get the syllabus early and plot assignments a week ahead

I try to schedule everything equally through out the week and nothing on the weekend......Saturday is normally my catch up day and Sunday is normally the end of the week for the professors

Be aware of the actual timed deadline. Even if all your professors say “deadline is Sunday” it could be at different times...some give you until midnight, some till 11 and some even say 6!

Keep copies of all discussion postings. I create a folder for each semester and within each semester is a folder for each course and I save all my discussions and written assignments....sometimes the websites go down.

Try to work ahead as much as possible

Try to stay focused....its easy to get wrapped up in TV when you’re at home

Do not count on being able to use the book on tests......read and do the work. Most professors do not give you enough time to be able to flip through and find answers.

I email my professors a lot when I don’t understand something.

Check them out through www.ratemyprofessor.com if they are the type that disappears because it’s an online class, people will tell you there. You do not want a professor who doesn’t respond in a timely manner; at the same time do not wait until the last minute to email them.

Good luck and have fun. I have taken over 40 credit hours online and still going although next semester I’m taking my science courses on campus. Online is good for general education courses but if you can, take the ones required for your major on campus.....I think you learn more

Answer 2

Online courses all depend on whether or not you are disciplined enough to handle them. You must be really good at problem solving in order to handle the course effectively. I had done some at my college and it was not easy for the first couple weeks, but became easier when I adjusted to it. Be ready to read the chapters more than once, because the only way to get help with it is to send an email and wait.

Also, don't listen to the claims of an online school being worthless. Just make sure the college is accredited. If it makes you feel any better, go to a college that also has campuses in your area. After all, the degree isn't going to say "Whatever University ONLINE", it will just state the university's name. I just hired an employee who went to Strayer University (he stated he did the courses online) and he is doing very well around here. He has some great ideas and I am proposing one of them to "the big guys".

Good luck with the courses.

Answer 3

Most (not all) people who have actually taken online courses from a reputable school agree that online courses are considerably harder than the same in-the-seat course. The only real plus to online is that you can do them from anywhere at anytime. The really big plus (for me at least) is that you can take classes from places like Harvard and Oxford without going to Boston or London. Generally speaking, there is no professor down at Local Community College that even comes close to comparing with these.

The workload is going to be the same, you'll have to do the same work as anyone in the class except that you aren't attending lectures. This means you will have to read the texts entirely. If you need clarification or assistance, you have to communicate via phone or email - this isn't the way for most of us to take calculus but it works exceptionally great for things like Lit. and History which mostly require reading out of class anyway.

Assessments will probably be writing based versus multiple choice tests. You can expect an online class to require papers regularly.

To hear "I took English 102 online and it was a breeze" is misleading because taking English 102 in the classroom should be a breeze too. I've taken hundreds of courses at all levels online - some are easy, some are really hard.

Some people will display their considerable ignorance of the subject by offering blanket statements such as "all online courses are a waste of time" and imply that all colleges that teach online are useless. A few of these "useless" institutions include Harvard, Oxford, Duke, UC-Berkeley, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, SUNY, (hundreds of others). [note: Prof. Ranto has degrees from a couple of these.] It is most often the case that these same people have never taken a course from a reputable college online.

I personally challenge any naysayer to take an online course from Harvard, Oxford, Duke, or Berkeley and tell us all it was easy. That is assuming that these will even let you take their courses. ☺ They let me.

Anyone with half a bit of wit must understand that if the best colleges in the world are teaching online and the biggest employers in the world are paying for their employees to take these online classes; Prof. Ranto's (and others) assessment of the viability of distance education must be severely flawed. This is of course, unless Prof. Ranto and others know more about higher education than the administrations of Harvard and Oxford (which I don't believe to be true).

Answer 4

I have gotten my associates degree and am now in the bachelor's program at the University of Phoenix. My diploma will mean as much to any employer as one from any other school. Because I did it online does not mean that it's useless. It takes a lot of work and detication. It's neither easier of harder than a traditional face to face university, you'll be putting in pretty much the same hours either way, and the courses are the same. Only difference is you have to teach yourself everything. You don't have someone there showing you how to do things.

Answer 5

Many employers respect online degrees as long as they come from accredited universities.

I actually have taken many campus and online classes. I have actually found that online classes take more dedication and motivation than campus classes.

In online classes you must read lectures instead of listening to them. When you listen to a lecture an instructor can use inflection, body language, emphasis to highlight subjects that will appear on exams. Often times they do not in online classes.

In online classes you have to schedule yourself. In campus classes you have a set schedule. I actually make up class times for my online classes where for an hour or two hours what ever twice a week (this depends on the amount of units the class is) i do nothing but that class. No distractions.

In online classes there is in my experience more work per credit hour.

Now if you are a good independent learner, who's motivated and prepared to the work online classes are great.

I really do like both my online and on campus classes and have done very well in both.

Answer 6

The convenience of doing it at home is very nice. The downfall is that you have to be a self-motivated person. You can't put off doing the work until the weekends. If you want to be successful you have to set aside a few hours every day to work on your classes just as you would if you went to face-to-face classes. The course work is just as hard as in the classroom and you have to be prepared to read and ask questions for things that are not clear. Make the most of your opportunity to take online classes and they will be very rewarding.

Answer 7

The work itself is probably easier, but the difficult part is remaining self-motivated to do it. I hope you are doing this at a recognized school, not a commercial enterprise, otherwise you will get less benefit out of it. Most employers will recognize any degree from State University, whether online or brick-and-mortar, but not those from places like the UofP or Capella.

Answer 8

It is easier to get your credits this way.

It is harder to get a job once you graduate. Employers do not respect degrees from internet universities.