The Reality of an Online Class

There are many advantages and disadvantages of being enrolled in an online class. Currently I am taking an online government one class which will allow me not to have to take it during my senior year. The benefits from taking this class are great but it also comes with quite a few drawbacks as well.

One of the many advantages of taking an online class is that you can do it on your own time. This is great because if there is a night that I have too much other homework from other classes I can pass on my online work for a night. Because you are doing everything on your own time you can work as slow or as fast as you would like. This means you can choose when you want to take your tests based on when you are ready for them.

I cannot speak for everyone but my online class is pretty easy. This is another advantage, there is not much to it besides reading and studying. I would prefer to be able to sit in a classroom and participate in activities and discussions, but having what I would consider an easy class is definitely nice.

Along with the benefits of an online class come quite a few disadvantages. Because you are doing all of the work on your own time, you must, absolutely must have good time management!! There is a lot of work to get through and not a whole lot of time. There are many nights that I am done with my other homework and I just want to go to bed or watch t.v., but I have to force myself to get a couple sections done.

Another disadvantage is how you have to take tests. You have to come into school and schedule a time to take a test in front of a teacher to verify that you are the one taking the test. This can be a bit of a pain at times. The reality of an online class is that you are teaching the information to yourself. There aren't opportunities to ask questions or work with other people on things that you don't understand. You have to be responsible and make sure you are staying on top of things.

The biggest drawback of all to taking an online class, as far as I know, is the busywork that it involves. I am one that likes to get my work done in a timely manner. I have to feel like there is a purpose for whatever were doing. All online government consists of is reading and filling out worksheets, filling out worksheets and reading some more. It's so redundant! I don't feel like I make any progress at all even if I work on it for over an hour.

There are definitely pros and cons to taking an online class. Most importantly it teaches you time management and responsibility. Right now its a bit overwhelming but I'm sure it will be more than worth it when it's completed!