Students, like myself, choose online or hybrid classes for their simplicity, easy time management and the guaranteed passing grade. Other hybrid classes, such as math, require online aspects of teaching. In the math class I’m currently taking, my professor’s exact words were, “It’s like you don’t even need me here, I’m just talking out of the textbook.”
This results, from my personal experience, in you not showing up to class because the professor doesn’t take attendance, so you eventually end up slacking and failing the course.
Thirty percent of my final math grade is coming from the MyMathLab homework online, the part all of my peers in class despise. The online homework is due at certain times, and takes a few hours to complete at least one section.
The problem I have found with pass or fail classes is, although they are portrayed to be easy, they’re really not. One missed deadline, or too many missed classes, will likely result in a tanking grade. The pass/fail system may be easier on professors to grade and students to complete, but are they worth it in the long run?
Even when I was in high school, there was a program for students who were behind and lacking credits to graduate on time, so they were offered accelerated online courses. Now, I’m not saying it isn’t fair they are given the opportunity to succeed and catch up with other students, but again, copying and pasting answers is not beneficial to your education, time or money.
In a 2011 report from the National Education Policy Center, it argued there is minimal oversight to the students and virtual classrooms are not an acceptable form of education replacement. Columbia University’s Community College Research Center has shown students who enroll in online courses are more likely to withdraw or fail from the course than students in traditional face-to-face courses. While these courses “supposedly” help students pass, the data shows otherwise.
Although online courses and hybrid classes offer better time management and make it easier for the busy student, there are many more cons than pros. Less help is offered and classes become less competitive.
The biggest aspect I see going wrong here is paying over a thousand dollars to take an easy class and for it to not be worth it. And less face-to-face time with classmates and professors makes it even harder to learn new things.
To be in an online course, there needs to be time management and tangible work required to complete assignments well. I have learned these classes are mostly about teaching yourself, which is far from a lot of people’s strongest suit.
[“source-ntdaily”]
