My Perspectives on Online School

Occasionally people ask me how I feel about earning a degree online and whether I would recommend it.

I don't know if I necessarily "recommend" it - it really depends on your circumstances and your learning style - but I can tell you the pros and cons from my perspective.

Let's start with the cons:

As I'm trying to brainstorm the negative aspects of earning an online degree, I'm realizing that a lot of the cons aren't exclusive to online learning. For example, I was going to say that it's difficult to form relationships and network with instructors and other students, but then I reflect back on my time as an on-campus student, and I remember that I didn't make a single friend at school, and I didn't have any instructors that knew my name. There are plenty of people who have graduated from my current program who have networked with each other and who have a close relationship with their instructors. This can be done because we do a lot of group work, and our instructors have office hours over a video chat program. So really, if you want to network, you can (and you should, but I, personally haven't taken the initiative to do a lot of networking, which is probably a disadvantage for me).

One con is that we don't get spring or fall break. We also don't get holidays off. Occasionally, instructors will adjust a due date to accommodate a holiday, but most of the time, things just keep chugging along, which means I sometimes have to do schoolwork on Thanksgiving.

Another con is that it's really easy to cheat (yes, this is a con). I admit, I've had moments where I'm taking a closed-book test, and I read a question that I don't remember the answer to, but I know exactly where it is in my book. Of course the temptation is there. I could just look. It would take five seconds. But the thing it, I signed an honor code when I joined BYU-Idaho. I have to meet with the local leaders of my church every year and discuss the honor code and the standards I must live by to attend a Church Educational System (CES) school. So I don't cheat because I know that I'll be accountable to God for it someday, but I've already graduated from a different CES school, and I saw people cheating all the time, so I'm sure it's happening a lot in my online program as well. Maybe even more so because it's so much easier to get away with. It's frustrating to think that people are getting better grades than I am because they choose to cheat - a reality that is, again, not exclusive to online school but perhaps more difficult to monitor.

The biggest con for me, though, is that I feel like there is a stigma for online degrees. Some people look at them as "lesser degrees" as if they are easier to earn. For some online programs, that may be the case, (and I have to admit that even I don't always look at online classes as legit college courses), but I feel like I'm involved in a quality program, and when I graduate, my degree will be from the college I'm enrolled in. There will be nothing on my diploma that separates me from the on-campus students. Plus, most universities now offer online classes, so it is becoming the norm.

And now for the pros:

It is such a blessing, in my current life circumstances, to be able to study on my own timeline. There are still due dates - this is not independent study - but if I know I have a vacation coming up, I can manage my time and work ahead so I can free up some time for leisure. It's not easy to do, but it's possible! And that has been nice (however, I occasionally have online meetings I can't miss or reschedule, and I find myself fighting with the hotel wi-fi to get into my group video chat).

Also, being able to work on my own timeline means that I can decide when to take my tests (there is usually a week from when the test opens and when it closes, and I can test any time during that week as long as I make the due date). This is nice because I can test when I'm ready rather than at a time that was chosen for me.

In addition to that, I have control over how my "class time" is used. If I attend a 50 minute class on campus, I'm not really in control of how that time is managed, but when I am studying on my own time, I have more control. What I mean by that is, I can sometimes learn more studying on my own in 50 minutes than a professor can teach me in a classroom setting in the same amount of time. This, however, is highly affected by learning style. This wouldn't work for everyone, but for me, I think I spend less time learning the material outside of a classroom than I would inside a classroom where things move a little slower to accommodate a large amount of people. There is quite a bit of overlapping material in my courses, so it's nice that I can spend less time working on something I'm already familiar with. For example, this week in my Community and Family Relations course, we are learning about Ecological Systems Theory, which I have learned about in at least two other classes. Instead of spending a significant amount of time on this topic, I quickly reviewed and moved on to other concepts that are new to me. This reiterates that learning style is a very important factor to when considering online courses.

Another pro is that school can go anywhere with me. I already mentioned vacations - it's pretty cool that I can leave home and take school with me. For one of my current classes, my textbook is on my cell phone, so it is always with me. I can also access my online courseroom from anywhere with wi-fi as long as I have a device with me.

Something that is unique to BYU-Idaho is that there are three full-length semesters in a year (and one six-week block). This has been nice because, in my previous schooling, we only had two full-length semesters. Three allows me to squeeze more schooling in in a year's time.

I definitely don't speak for every person or every online program, but I think I've gained a little perspective on the ups and downs of online school. Would I recommend it? Not with any surety. It's not for everyone, so you really need to consider your own circumstances and determine if it's right for you.

As a follow-up to this post, I really want to tell you more about my degree in Marriage and Family Studies and the topics I've studied. I always worry that people brush my degree aside and think, "So you're learning to be a professional homemaker?" Hardly! There are definitely a lot of things I've studied that are helpful in the home, but it is far more than a degree in motherhood. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow! Can't wait!