Online distance learning allows students to earn credits while balancing work and personal responsibilities. Choosing the right online class is important, considering factors like self-paced or paced courses, class size, and group assignments. Self-paced courses offer flexibility but require motivation, while paced courses offer group interaction but require strict schedules. Class size should be limited to ensure individual attention.
High school or college courses through online distance learning allow students to hold a job or take care of other responsibilities while also earning school credits. As long as credits are accepted as equivalent to those earned in traditional schools, Internet classes allow students to learn quality information in multiple geographic locations. The best way to choose online classes is to choose ones that not only work with the credits or skills you need to gain, but also fit into your schedule. Not only is adequate time required for homework, assignments, studying and taking tests, not all online classes are self-paced.
Self-paced Internet classes allow students to log in at any time during the day or night. These courses offer the most flexibility, as the student can organize the time needed for classes according to their individual schedule. A strict schedule must be created and adhered to, however, as self-paced online classes require a lot of motivation and initiative on the part of the student. Some assignments and exams still need to be completed to meet deadlines and requirements set by the school.
Paced online courses limit the amount of time a student can be logged in and working on lessons, as the purpose of this type of learning is to have a group of students working together on the material. An advantage of this type of approach at a distance is that students can benefit from the questions and ideas raised by other students. As strict dates and times are set for each aspect of the course, there is no need for the student to take the time to organize a plan for completing online classes around their work and personal schedule. A disadvantage of college or high-speed online courses is that the student may have to commit to working at a much faster or slower pace than they would with self-paced Internet courses.
Class size is a consideration when choosing self-paced or self-paced online classes. There should be no more than 25 or 30 students online per class to ensure that each student receives sufficient help and attention from the instructor. Many distance learning classes feature group assignments; therefore, working online with large groups of students can be difficult in terms of organization and communication. For example, if a student in the group cannot be reached via email or phone in time to discuss project progress with the other group members, the quality and completion of the assignment could be compromised.
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