Online university classes – how are they different?

Online University Classes – How Are They Different?

Online university classes are fast becoming popular as more and more people discover the benefits they bring. Online university classes refer to courses or programs that can be taken and completed through the internet. Nowadays, prestigious schools like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford are promoting free online courses on some selected programs in their desire to make quality education available to people all over the world.

Many people ask how different online classes are from those conducted in the traditional classroom setting. Well, these two are similar in the sense that both aim to provide high quality education to learners.

However, they differ in many ways in terms of venue, schedule, the way classes are conducted, resources, and costs.

Venue. While traditional classes are conducted within the four walls of the classrooms, online classes can be conducted while the student is at home, in the office or anywhere there is an internet connection. The university might assign a center for online classes where students can interact with teachers and fellow students through emails or chats.

Facilities. Attending a physical university would allow students to use facilities like laboratories, gym, conference rooms, audio-visual rooms, dormitories and cafeterias. All of these are absent in online programs. Students will be able to use virtual libraries though for their reading activities and research.

Class Schedule. Students attending online classes need not stick to a fixed schedule. Those who are working or enrolled in a regular program in their locality can have flexible schedules. Online classes go on 24 hours a day. Students can attend classes at night, at dawn, or during day time. They can also arrange for classes during week ends only.

Learning Materials. Online programs give a list of learning materials and resources that students can use.

Purchasing a book is unnecessary because most universities offering online classes have their virtual libraries where students can find almost all the materials that they need. In fact, enrolling in an online program enables a student to have easy access of many materials that he or she can use in completing the course.

Interaction. Most colleges and universities offering online courses have centers where students and teachers can meet and exchange ideas through chatting and emailing. Through these centers, students get to know each other, exchange ideas, and discuss hot issues or topics. They can also ask for clarification from their teachers through this channel.

Costs. Online courses have reduced costs because students only pay for salaried of instructors. The university does not need to build and maintain more classrooms for them, buy classroom furniture and school equipment for their use, and construct and maintain other structures like the laboratories, libraries, gymnasiums, dormitories, and cafeterias.

Students will not be spending for uniforms, books, and miscellaneous fees to cover use of facilities. They will save on fare if they commute to school or on fuel if they drive their own cars.

Indeed, there is a big difference between an online university course and a traditional university course.

Traditional programs set the stride of a person’s schooling. A student taking a 4-year course finishes it within for years or more, not less. Online courses have removed boundaries, allowing students in one continent to earn a degree from schools in other continents. Above all, online programs have made education accessible to everyone.