Online Courses

When I was in high school I took several online classes. One class in particular was through Brigham Young University. I didn’t enjoy the class because there was no interaction between the teachers and students, not to mention the class was unbelievably harder than actually going to a class and listening to a teacher lecture. Last semester I was taking an Operations Management course and the class had roughly 15 people trying to take the course. Some elected to take the class online with another professor, thus accommodating this surplus of students.

I have yet to take a fully online course at the University of New Mexico, but the classes that I have taken online were difficult and weren’t set up well to interact with other students or professors. Has anyone had a good experience with online courses? I am currently taking a hybrid online course, which is part online and part in the classroom. I have found this course to be quite enjoyable, because I have interaction with students and the professor in the classroom and online. We have discussions every week about different topics. I think it forces the students to get to know one another, which doesn’t always happen in a regular classroom.

Personally, I think that online classes do allow for easier scheduling. Students can get on at anytime and work on their assignments when it is convenient for them. According to one article, based on the Las Alamos UNM campus, one professor had this to say about online classes, “It’s a great resource for people who are working or who live far way from a college campus…They can ‘attend class’ at any time, from anywhere.” http://www.la.unm.edu/PR/C&M%20Website/Fall%20Update%20stories%20only.pdf Also, this article mentions that the classes are live. I guess there is more interaction with students and professors now that the technology has progressed.

Here is a link to all the different classes that are offered online at UNM. There are over 100 different classes to choose from. There are English classes, business classes, teaching classes, and much, much more. http://hsc.unm.edu/som/radiology/RadSciences/Spring2010online.pdf

Overall, I am a little hesitant on taking another fully online course, however, I do realize that technology has changed. Online courses are more interactive now than they were four years ago. I have enjoyed the hybrid online course that I am currently taking, which I am sure is very similar to a fully online class.

I am curious what other people think of online classes. Are they more work than regular classes that you attend on campus? Are they harder? Do you get interaction with other students and professors?