Like most students here at Bonaventure, I am not a huge fan of getting up in the morning for class. As a matter of fact, I absolutely hate it. I am horrible at rousing myself from my warm comfy bed in the morning, and I know a lot of people feel the same way. But online classes are not the way to solve that problem.
I thought it made more sense for me to take an online class this semester in order to keep me from getting up at 9 a.m. Online classes seem easy in theory, but after being in one for over half of the semester, I have come to the conclusion it is not anything like you’d think.
Online classes seem like they do not require too much effort. You get to sleep in, you never have to leave your bed, and you still get an A (in theory). I am here to tell you that this is the furthest thing from true.
The allure to take an online class is strong, and maybe for some people online classes are perfect. But for me, the average student, I know in this online class: it is not worth it.
Maybe some professors do things differently for their online classes, but I can’t imagine it would be much different from what my professor does for this class. He probably does his best to make sure we know what is going on, but it’s tough.
It’s not like it’s the professor’s job to consistently remind you like a high school teacher would about assignments. The responsibility is specifically on you to remember to always check the website. If you forget to look online, then that is solely on you. If you don’t realize until it’s too late that you had something due, then that’s too bad.
Another thing that is a disadvantage about online classes is that you are missing a personal connection with the teacher.
At a school this small, we are used to knowing our teacher on a more personal level. With my online class, I have no idea if my professor has any idea who I am. I am probably just another name that either submitted the assignment or didn’t.
For my online class, we have group projects. A group project is not an easy thing to do when you have no idea who the people named in the email are. We have done two group projects, and submitting something online that is a collaborative piece of writing is difficult when you only communicate with these faceless people over text or email.
For some people, I am sure that an online class is doable. But to be completely honest, it is nothing like I had expected. Online classes aren’t for everyone, and I will not be taking one ever again.
Elyse Kuhn is a staff writer for The Bona Venture. Her email is kuhnee16@bonaventure.edu
