Online Courses: Procrastinators Beware

March 5, 2009 by Abigail Canonico

Columbus State offers online classes for many courses around campus, but whether online classes are right for every student stands as a debate that may never truly be resolved.

For those students following a schedule that feels too busy to even make the commute to campus, online classes offer a method in taking a course without having to make the trip back and forth.

Online classes offer notes posted on Blackboard, assignments provided on Blackboard, and testing three times a month, which often takes place at the testing center on campus.

The online testing center offers what should be a simple process, but becomes much more complicated once an individual actually experiences the concept.

Although those that make the decision to take online classes must stand in an often 20-minute plus line prior to even entering the testing center, for many, the wait and the three-time online testing center visit is worth it.

Many students at Columbus State live at home with families and with children that must be cared for throughout the day and throughout the week.

Men and women have full-time jobs and others to provide for, which leaves no time for hour- long lectures and in-class courses. For those looking to come back to school or to plainly earn a degree on top of an extremely busy schedule, online courses are often the best option.

But online classes do have their downfalls, which is why they may not be the best option for every student on campus.

Individuals that decide to enroll in online classes must keep on top of reading online notes, filling out the assignments, and making it to the testing center for the midterms and finals.

Many students consider online courses only because the idea of taking a class in the comfort of pajamas without having to actually come to campus throughout the quarter sounds like a genius concept when getting up with a hangover becomes too much to handle.

Online courses often allow for easier homework assignments, and the ability to take the course at somewhat of one's own pace.

But, once a student begins to slack while taking an online course, the entire class may begin to slide downhill quickly.

As a student earning high school credit at CSCC while also dancing and teaching full time at the Columbus Dance Theatre, Judson Veach is an extremely busy 17-year-old CSCC student and has considered the thought of taking an online course.

"I've thought about taking an online course a couple of times," said Veach, "but I feel like I'd just stop doing everything and get off track."

For many students, this exact scenario soon becomes reality. "Online classes are technically easier than regular classes, but having to keep up with everything completely on your own is what makes it harder to do well," said Nate McCallister, a first-year student at CSCC who has taken a couple of online classes so far.

Online courses definitely have their perks for those looking to balance a hectic lifestyle with the determination to earn an education. But for those that struggle to keep up with assignments and attendance within on-campus courses already, the advice seems to be that turning to online courses may not be the easy way out.