Online classes give me a false sense of hope. I used to believe that online classes were merely going online and doing your work, but I was way off.
You have to work harder when taking an online class; at least this is how I perceive it.
First you have to figure out if there’s an orientation for the class, which helps explain the details of the class. Such as, what Web site you need to go to, how to log on, and how to reach your instructor.This is information that online students need to know.
So, when I took an online summer school class, I couldn’t find a date for an orientation. I e-mailed the instructor for the class asking for the orientation date. All I got back was an e-mail simply stating, “There are no orientations for online classes…” I couldn’t believe I got such a vague, period-filled e-mail from a teacher.
I finally got an e-mail from the teacher explaining the class and how we went about doing assignments. It finally all made sense but made me feel stupid for not knowing there wasn’t an orientation for online classes.
Another hurdle with an online class is the connection. According to either the syllabus or the Web site for the class, it was highly recommended you drop the class if you have dial-up Internet; it made my stomach turn, because I’m one of 10 who still have dial-up Internet.
The reasoning for this was because of the timer that counted down the time you had for tests. I figured I’d try it once on my dial-up, and if it didn’t work I’d simply just go to a friend’s house to take a test if I needed to.
The first test I took went fine, I didn’t run out of time and the timer seemed to be keeping the right time. I did not see a reason to drop the class. But I wish they had said something about this somewhere else, such as the class schedule, or on the BC Web site’s section on online classes.
I decided to take another online class for the fall semester because I couldn’t find a math class that fit into my schedule.
It has been another adventure in online class taking. Low and behold, there was an orientation for this class! The orientation was full of helpful information. But the instructor made it seem like you had to buy some code to even get on to the Web site at the bookstore. She pounded this into our brains. But I wasn’t about to spend a decade in line at the bookstore.
I went to the Web site to see if I could just purchase it from the site since it was a Web site that isn’t run by BC.
To my wonderful discovery, I found that I could buy it online. For the same price as the bookstore, minus the standing in lines for what seems like an eternity.
I don’t know after this if I will take any more online classes. It’s more work figuring out what the hell to do, what you need, when it needs to be done, rather than just finding a building and room number.
You need a lot of self-motivation in order to pass an online class. You never see the teacher’s look of disappointment when you don’t turn in something or get a bad grade.
There are other tons of pluses, though. Such as, you don’t have that one annoying classmate who answers everything right just to show off to the class, or the group projects with the people who don’t do any work on them.
I was probably made for online classes, but I’m so sick of all the hassle. The BC Web site has an online class section, but it is mainly for the ETUDES website (the BC Web site for online classes). The math class I’m taking this semester isn’t on the ETUDES Web site; it’s an independent website. So, that Web site is no help to me at all this semester.
I don’t think I’ll be taking any more online classes after all the drama I’ve gone through with teachers and the Web sites; it’s easier to just physically go to the class.