Vanessa Schradel
Prof. Dr. Norstrand
English 1
9/14/2011
Online Classes versus Traditional Classes
Each year more and more students participate in online classes. Some students are taking a few of their classes over the internet, the so called “distance education”, others even full-time. However, the numbers are increasing and online education is competing with traditional classes. This semester I am taking an online class to the third time, and I am pretty delighted about the procedure with its advantages of flexibleness and convenience. However, in my opinion online classes are not good for everyone; it depends on the type of learner the person is.
Almost every University or bigger education Institute offers distance education – classes, where students do not have to be physical presence, and receive education at any location, where they have access to a computer and internet. According to Sloan Consortium, a non-profit group that promotes online education “… one million more students were enrolled in at least one Web-based course in the last year”. Now we ask ourselves, why does this education system become so popular? Since I have experience taking online classes, I can clearly assert that it is very tempting to have a flexible schedule. First of all, when enrolling in online classes there is no need to check one’s own schedule to see if the class, one is interested in, suites the time schedule, because for an online class one do not have to be available at certain times or days. Unquestionably, there is a given deadline for homework, learning assignment, discussions, quizzes, or exams, but one can complete it whenever it fits the schedule. With this in mind, not only young students can be flexible with their times, but also people who already have a family to be there for or to take care of, can profit from distance education. Likewise, it is great for people who are already in the world of work, because they need to earn money, or because they are...