Everything is online these days: shopping, social networking, newspapers and even classes.
Cabrini offers several online classes to students, and the immense popularity of the Internet has resulted in an increase in the popularity of online courses.
Nationwide, the number of students taking at least one online course jumped by nearly 70 percent between 2002 and 2007, from 1.6 million to 3.9 million, according to a study released in November by the Sloan Consortium, a nonprofit advocacy group for online learning.
“Online classes are beneficial for the student because it allows students who aren’t on campus to take those classes and not have to worry about housing or traveling to campus,” Dr. Darryl Mace, assistant professor of history and political science, said.
Mace teaches several history classes online. Mace estimated that he had about 15 students in each of the classes he teaches online.
Online classes can also be beneficial for students who reside on campus and are involved in activities or sports. Diipali Figgles, sophomore international business and political science major, who takes one of Mace’s online classes said, “I really enjoy my online class because it really gives me a lot of extra free time and it doesn’t interfere with practice. As long as I keep track of what things are due, it’s definitely not hard to keep up with the work.”
As with any other class, the way online classes are run are left to the discretion of the teacher.
Mace’s classes revolve around using discussion boards and chat rooms online to discuss and analyze the course content. The online discussion plays a crucial role in the grade students taking Mace’s classes receive.
“It’s just like a class discussion, but it’s electronic,” Mace said. Tests are also held online. The discussion boards are open at all times and students can post in them at their convenience. “A lot of online classes have a set time; I don’t do that because a lot of my online students are working adults,” Mace said.
Even though many students enjoy the advantages of online classes, they are not for everyone. Greg Lusty, senior business administration major, said, “I didn’t like my online class because I kind of had to rely on myself and I had a lot of other responsibilities and I had to teach myself the material. It’s easier to fall behind.”
“It is for students who are self-motivated. They have to be driven to do all the work; if they don’t they can easily fall behind,” Mace said.
Mace said there was a “huge difference” between the classroom and online teaching. “There’s a misconception that from a student and faculty standpoint that online is easier,” Mace said. Mace pointed to technical problems as one example of a difficulty that can arise when teaching
online. “I have to deal with technology, if there is a problem with BB Vista, I have to work to go try and fix it. If I set up something in the class wrong, I get e-mails from panicked students,” Mace said.
Mace also talked about how face to face classroom interaction is missing from online courses. “I don’t really get to know the students,” Mace said.
Mace feels that offering more online courses would benefit not only Cabrini students, but students from schools all around the area. “If someone from Cabrini wanted to take German, they could take the online German class that Rosemont offers, and if someone from Neumann College wanted to take a class that Cabrini offers and Neumann doesn’t they could,” Mace said.
Like it or not, online classes are here to stay. They may not be for everyone, but they can benefit those who can’t fit a scheduled class into their schedule or those who just need a break from the classroom.
“I definitely think taking an online class is a good choice,” Figgles said.
