Most of us in our college career will encounter an online course. Whether it's one or three, the struggles will always be the same.
Online classes can be extremely helpful academically. That is, if you are dedicated to doing the work. It is a great way to build up credits and not overwhelm yourself with five or more classes during the semester. In order to succeed in an online course, you need to be very dedicated to doing well. Professors do not remind you to do things, you are in charge of remembering what work you have to do.
Please note that you have to be extremely self-disciplined in order to take a course online.
Here are five reasons why I hate online classes and why they will forever be a pain in my butt.
1. There is not much structure.
You get assigned a bunch of work to do and have a whole week to do it. You can get it all done the night before (which is extremely stressful and overwhelming) or you can get it done throughout the week. Us college students like to have our schedule open for literally anything other than classwork. So it can be such a nuisance to remember that you have a bunch of reading and online lectures to watch.
2. Teachers don't seem to care as much.
I'm not saying that every teacher who teaches an online class is bad, but I'm saying many of them do not try to engage the students or get to know us. Everything is dependent on the busy work they give us to do, there is nothing on participation or attendance. Plus, professors don't seem to try as hard to make the content interesting or engaging.
3. Internet connection.
There are many times where your Internet connection may not be working and when it comes to online classes, that is quite a problem. Without a working computer, it is impossible to participate in an online course. This is extremely frustrating because computers are not always reliable.
4. Questions by email.
Some professors are better than others when it comes to responding to students, but others take forever to answer an email. Many times there is a time sensitive question that would be much easier to just ask in person. However, because of the nature of an online class, that is almost impossible.
5. You are on your own.
Even in regular classes, syllabus' can be unclear and confusing. In an online class, it can be daunting to teach yourself everything listed on the syllabus. You are basically homeschooling yourself at this point. It's annoying to pay so much for a class and then be teaching yourself all of the material.
