Online Class Versus Traditional Class

Through out my time at Westminster College, all of the classes that I have taken have been traditional with specific meeting times and in-class lecture and discussion. I’ve grown pretty accustom to waking up, walking to class, participating in discussion, and forming relationships with my professors and classmates. This week was different because our class did not meet. Instead we had online course work. For me, this was an entirely new experience. The online course, though probably not a completely adequate online class experience, gave me the opportunity to find out what an online class is like, and to assess the two different class experiences.
At first I was thrilled that I did not have to go to class. However, I was a bit nervous about getting my work done on time and understanding all of the assignments because usually I can rely on seeing my professor in class to ask questions. It’s pretty common to feel this way as I discovered from an article titled, “Pros and Cons of Online Courses vs. a Traditional Classroom” by Julie Wenzel. In this article I found that not having the convenience of seeing your instructor in class to ask questions, or to help with understanding is an issue for a lot of people who take online classes (Wenzel, 1). A few other “cons” that Julie mentions is the possibility of lacking the self discipline that an online class requires, and the disadvantage of not being able form relationships with professors and classmates as easily (Wenzel, 3). I can relate to these disadvantages, but there are a lot of advantages involved in online classes too.
Similar to what the article discusses, I found that online classes are much more flexible than traditional classes. With an online class, you are able to do the course work in your free time, and have the convenience of planning your time without the restraints of class meetings. Furthermore, not having to make the commute to class is always a bonus. Overall, I enjoyed the online class experience, but I still like having the more personal experience of traditional class.
I think that the most favorable option would be a mixture of the two. After all, it is not necessary to meet every day for class with so much technology available to us, but having relationships with classmates and teachers is an important part of the college experience. I’m glad to have had the experience of an online class so that I know all there is to know about my options for classes in the future.