As times have evolved, so have the ways in which we are taught. In the recent years online studying has become a norm because of its convenience in our modern and hectic lifestyles. As an online student myself, I have the advantage of not wasting my time in transit, or spend money on gas to get to my program. With extra time on my hands I am able channel more of it on completing school work. However, my sister has to transit to her college and is up every day at 5am. She always complains about the amount of time she spends on traveling to and from school as she could use that time to study and..sleep in! Another advantage of online programs is that you can work at your own pace. Being in online classes has allowed me to have more time for family, work and volunteering within my field. I wouldn’t have been able to volunteer for some of my amazing organizations if my schedule was not flexible.
The organizations I have contributed my time to have provided me with rich information and experiences that I can later benefit from during my practicum. Also, because of the extra time I had for volunteering, I have met some wonderful people who have worked in my field for years and they passed down some of their wisdom onto me.
Furthermore, online education encourages students to share their thoughts in discussion forums. These forums increase the diversity of ideas and opinions which have benefited me in seeing different points of view. Having to attend a class will limit you to hear everyone’s ideas and opinions in a constricted time frame, but online forums can have discussions lasting for months at a time.
In addition, I have gotten to know my classmates very well, everyone is very open about their present and past experiences. It can be a lot easier to share emotional situations in written form rather than explaining or talking about it in a class which can be very daunting.
Last but not least, online studying allows one to access the course materials 24 hours a day, seven days a week — which is pretty darn swell! What this means is that students can simply review readings, discussions and lectures again if they are confused about a subject.
Online studying has a few disadvantages that one should be aware of. Students will miss out on actual interactions with their classmates because the discussions of all of the assignments and projects are online. This can make the students feel lonely and isolated. Furthermore, online courses make it easier to procrastinate as it is difficult to watch a lecture that is sometimes offered on YouTube without being distracted by the recommended videos on the right column.
Miscommunication is another disadvantage of online studying because emails can be misread between the student and the teacher. Misunderstandings can make matters complicated and frustrating. It can take a lot of time to email back and forth just to receive one answer in regards to an assignment.
In my humble opinion, online education has opened many doors for me as I have become more independent in finishing my tasks before the given due dates. Online courses have allowed me to complete activities that I involved myself in outside of my program. In this amazing generation, we have the luxury of taking some programs online that are more compatible with our busy work schedules, so why not take advantage of it?
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