Discussions

I am sounding up on the topic of online courses. I am curious about what people think of online courses versus conventional courses.  
 
In my opinion I see these issues arising potentially from online courses:  
 
1) Distance Is Increased Between Student & Teacher  
 
2) Institutional Recognition Is Variable: In Some Cases Non-Existent  
 
3) Some Things You Have To See To Know. In Other Words You Can't Be Directed or Supervised.  
 
4) You May Not Always Get What You Want, Especially If The Content Is Lacks Oversight i.e. Youtube  
 
5) You May Lack Access To Infrastructure Like Say High Voltage Equipment, Expensive Routers, Lifts, Specialized Experimental Equipment  
 
6) Low Student Commitment: Follow-Through  
 
I am sure this list is not finished: I am sure there are other points. I guess it may come down to what subject matter you are learning: what skills need to be shown and where. It is possible that material delivery is context specific: that courses without infrastructure requirements are potentially better suited to "online delivery".  
 
Note: You can still debate and hash like a student-teacher pair via online whiteboards.

I preferred classes in class over online. Online it was easy to push off till later, the learning was never the same, and personally I didn't feel I got as much out of it or put as much into it. I liked that in class I could engage in dialogue with others and get instant feedback. It also let me invest myself in my course fir three hours instead of trying to do that and watch my kids/do chores/etc. There were often people who called in to class who would be trying to multitask but did a poor job of it - don't forget to put your mute on if you are going to vacuum at the same time as listen in to class!

I picked online for the following reasons:  
 
-I could start right away and not have to wait till the class starts up  
 
-in my case the testing is easier because it is open book  
 
-it is a lot cheaper  
 
-I don't like going out of the house when it is hot or rainy, and I can do my school work in my PJs.  
 
If you take this route all you need to do is establish your own "school time" and be sure to stick to it.

Thanks for your comments.

Right now I am taking an online course as the program I am working on only offers the first prerequisite course online only and the rest I have options of online or evening classes and I personally never do as well with online compared to doing something in class. I am not a rocket scientist but no dummy either but I am trying to better myself for the real world and a good instructor which can filter out the hundreds of pages of dry reading to "this is what you really need to do out there" and then focus the study on those areas I find more effective than if I am on my own to decide what is important or not.

A person could also choose to work on some of the course from one of the Learning and Literacy centres, at no extra cost - adding the option of teacher support.  
 
BFC Adult Education 726-1830  
Samaritan House TC 727-1268  
Brandon Literacy Council 729-9964

Different topics demand different ways for the instructor to transfer information and for the student to build their knowledge. Sometimes there are other skills, such as public speaking, that come with a classroom setting even if it's not the 'topic' of the course. When you look at job ads you'll see this as the combination of desired knowledge and skills. Also don't confuse 'convenient' learning with better learning.

What kind of online courses would require access to high voltage and/or specialized equipment?  
 
The level of interaction required almost precludes a lot of advanced or specialized courses from being taught online.  
 
Plus, in what world are you getting face-to-face interaction with online profs?