Guest Post from Lindsey Wright: Online education? the pros and cons...

The following is a guest post from Lindset Wright from onlinecollegeclasses.com, many thanks to Lindsey for her contribution:

The Pros and Cons of Taking Online Classes

These days, it seems that online education is becoming more and more popular. A number of universities and community colleges now even specialize in online classes. Some programs may allow you to do the majority of your coursework online with just a few labs requiring weekly or monthly attendance, while others are designed so that you can complete your coursework from home at your convenience. The options are endless, now all at left to do is figure out which is the best fit for you.

Pros of Online Courses

1) One of the biggest pros of online courses is the convenience of taking classes at home. This can save you money on gas, parking fees, and child care costs. Such a system is extremely beneficial if you are trying to obtain your degree  while working around a career and family.

2) Online courses allow for more flexibility. Many courses will require that you post to a bulletin board or make comments in class, but most will allow you to complete this task at almost any time. As a result you will have the flexibility to plan classes around your schedule. Also, there are many online universities, such as The Open University that will allow you start taking classes without the hassle of required qualifications beforehand.

3) The beauty of online classes is that they can completed anywhere there is an Internet connection. Thus if you are a professional who travels for work, you can still complete your degree without damaging your careers. Also, taking online classes gives you the ability to take vacations while you are in school without delaying the completion of your degree since you are able to access them anywhere you have an internet connection.

4) Some universities offer accelerated online programs, which allow you to complete your degree much more quickly. This will allow you to increase your earning power sooner. However keep in mind that your course load will likely be heavier. You may have you take one class at a time over a shorter time period, allowing you to focus on just one subject to better understand it.

Cons of Online Courses

1) One downside of taking classes online is that you need to be self-motivated to be successful. There are deadlines for you to follow and specific expectations set up by the teachers, but some students find they can only stay engaged when attending classes at a brick-and-mortar institution. Meeting with the professor during office hours and having other classmates surrounding them helps them to stay focused.

2) While generally there are fewer time constraints when taking courses online, some will require you to log on at a specific time to participate in class discussions or to listen to lectures. This can be as restrictive as traditional classes, and may not work well for some people. Such a situation an be further complicated if you do not have reliable Internet access at home to meet these requirements.

3) Online classes may isolate you from making connections in your career field and from making new college friends. Although most classes have required interactions on Moodle or Blackboard programs, this is not the same as meeting with people in person. As a result, it can be more difficult to form effective study groups.

4) Federal funding may not be available for all courses. This depends on the program you choose and whether or not it is accredited and meets the government’s guidelines. However it is possible to get around this problem by looking for in-state public universities and community colleges. Additionally, the Pell Grant program allows you to check to see if a you can receive funding for schools in the United States. Also, another great website to look for scholarships regarding schooling in the United Kingdom is the Hot Courses website that helps you find scholarships based on your subject area of study and even has a little budget planner for you to use.

Making the Choice

When determining whether you should attend an online school or not, you must weigh the pros and cons of the different programs you want to attend. For online courses it is best to have a specific degree or certification in mind before you begin researching. Then you can look at the programs in your area that offer the degree and determine if online classes, traditional classes or a combination of both will help you achieve your goal. Make sure the program you choose is accredited and has a good reputation. Lastly, once you choose a program, you should stick with it until you finish, because not all of the credits will transfer over causing you to lose both time and money as you retake requirements.