If you’ve ever taken an online class, you’re probably familiar with the particular struggles of trying to learn in this new technological world. Without a set schedule, it’s hard to stay on top of things and easy to ignore. We at HC have had our fair share of experiences with online classes and are here to tell you exactly why they are the worst.
- It’s impersonal
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“My favorite aspect of school is going to lecture. I like getting face-to-face time with my prof and my peers, and I find information so much more engaging when it is presented by someone who is passionate about the subject matter! With online classes, I feel like this is such a beneficial and enriching aspect of school that I miss out on.”
Abby
“In my online class the prof assigned group projects but we never met our partners in person and people would literally just. drop off the face of the earth for the entirety of the project, write one paragraph or so at the end, and be done. It’s hard putting together a group project when you never see the people you’re working with and you can’t hold THEM accountable for the work they’re not doing (because over the computer they really can just utterly disappear).”
Ria
- It’s hard to stay on top of things
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“It’s hard to stay the course when there’s only YOU to hold you accountable. It’s a suitable option for doing a course on the go, but it’s also hard to accomplish anything when your study schedule is sporadic. Plus, what I find most enjoyable about school is learning in a group because I learn lots from my peers too (not just the course material)!”
Carly
“I found the online courses I took to be mostly self-teaching, from the textbook and lecturer notes. I felt that to be a lot more time-consuming as well as challenging. You also have to have a lot of internal motivation to stick to the schedule for online courses. If you slip up once, it’s hard to get back on track. Campus lectures force you to be on schedule by in-class assignments, scheduled assignments/papers, midterms etc as well as the ability to talk to your professors in person frequently rather than over email.”
Kruti
- It’s not as engaging
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“Online classes are convenient, but I feel like I just don’t get enough out of them. The assignments are usually more onerous, and less engaging, even if the courseload is lighter. I don’t think there’s an equivalent substitute for in-person learning.”
Lindsey
“I found it was difficult to pick a certain time each week to listen to the lectures and go through the course work. With in-person lectures you have a set time and place every day (or every other day or etc) where you go and you take notes and listen to the lecture. With online courses, it would be like you’d get one giant 3-hour lecture you’d have to listen to all in one go and it was difficult sitting through it”
Ria
And there you have it! While online classes can be a great way to get an education from literally anywhere, there are plenty of reasons to loathe their very existence. What do you think about online classes? Let us know below!