Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The Challenge of Online Education

The Challenge of Online Education

Taking an online course can be a challenging task. Someone might be taking one because they have a scheduling conflict, work during the day, or just want one extra class to add the transcript. What people don’t know is how hard an online class really is; not necessarily because of the content, but because of the ability or lack there of of time management. The basic skills for a student taking an online class are time management, through discipline, and decent computer knowledge.
Time management is crucial to the success of an online class. Just because someone doesn’t have to attend class two or three times a week, doesn’t mean they are excused from class work. A person taking an online class is expected to spend multiple hours on the computer reading and submitting work as laid out by the instructor. Some people believe that even more time needs to be spent on an online class than a regular one. The ability to manage enough time in our busy lives to work on the weekly assignments is the best way to be successful in an online course.
Discipline factors in as well. When your friends want to go out, but you put off your work the entire week, you need to have the discipline to stay in for the night and finish up what was assigned.
Lastly, at least for this class, computer knowledge is required. The course work is all found online, and if someone didn’t have access to a computer, they would surly be out of luck. A good basis of skills needs to be learned before one can succeed in an online class.
Overall many contributors factor into becoming a good online student. Computer skills, time management, and discipline all play a vital role in finishing an online course with a good grade. Hopefully this essay will provide some insight into what it takes to become a good online student.

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