Students Should Think Before Enrolling in Internet Courses

 Amanda Hurst, staff writer

With the excitement of college life comes class times, long lectures and homework, so many students believe taking Internet courses is the easy way out. But that is not entirely the case.

South Plains College has been offering Internet courses since the late 1990s and has seen thousands of students use the web for classes. SPC offers between 85 and 100 online sections per full semester, which adds up to around 1,800-2,500 students each semester (completely online), according to Stephanie Jones, associate dean of distance education and instructional support.

SPC also offers supplement courses with online content. The number of student seats (each student is one seat in each class) is close to 6,000 students also use WebCT for the fall 2005 semester. The retention rate for online courses, with successful completion of a grade of A, B, or C, is around 40 percent.

“With an Internet course, a student has to be the student, teacher and tutor all on their own, so on-line courses tend to be twice as difficult as regular classes,” said Dr. Laura Graves, professor of history at South Plains College. “Most students walk into an on-line course and think it’s going to be a piece of cake because they don’t have to attend class.”

Before students sign up for an Internet classes, they need to do several things first, said Graves. A student should talk to the professor before signing up for the class and ask for a syllabus or assignment calendar to make absolutely sure that he or she can do the work and find out when the assignments will be due. Students need to be more realistic and look over a few guidelines and questions before deciding to sign up.

These guidelines include: If you’ re a procrastinator, this is not the course for you; if you are not good at “computers” or have an old computer, poor Internet connections, or limited access to a good computer, this is not the course for you; if you have taken this course before (either in class or on line) and either failed or dropped it, ask yourself what has changed so much in your life since then that you will be successful this time. If the answer is “I’ll work harder” how realistic is that? You will be your own tutor for this class, is that a good thing? Do you have the time that a course of this nature requires? Generally speaking, an Internet course requires twice as much time as a regular class; double-check your schedule, do you really have that kind of time to devote to one class?

“In most cases, an Internet course is no easier than going to class,” said Dreima Campbell, a former online student at SPC. “Even though Internet courses can be more convenient than going to class, students need to be responsible enough before they step into one.”

Do you tend to panic or are you easily frustrated to the point of giving up?

“Students who are thinking about taking Internet courses need to ask questions,” said Jo Beth Horney, assistant professor of mathematics at SPC. “If they are going to take an on-line course, they need to take a subject they’re strong in. If they do poorly in algebra, they shouldn’t attempt to take an on-line course.”

You may succeed if you answer a firm “yes” to all of these statements, such as: Are you well organized, do you manage your time well, are you reliable, can you manage deadlines, are you self-motivated, are your resourceful and a problem-solver, can you balance the requirements of an Internet class and all of its time-sensitive demands with the ever-changing demands on your job, your family, and your life?

“All internet courses are not the same,” said Pam Burnett, associate professor of physical education and health at SPC. “So a student doesn’t need to think that because they took one easy on-line course, the others will be just as easy.”

Every student should know that it is the student’s responsibility to contact the professor by the first day of class (not the other way around). Many I-net classes have assignments due the first week of class. Also all questions about the class, due dates, assignments, assignment values and grading values are answered in the course documents, so read them carefully before asking for help.

Your professor is not going to be available 24 hours a day for you to ask questions, and there will almost never be moments before a deadline to solve your last-minute crisis. Plan ahead and work ahead when possible so that when a crisis occurs you don’t have to worry about deadlines, said Graves.

 “We’re not trying to discourage students from taking on-line courses, Graves said. We just want them to stop and think about it before jumping right in. The worst thing is for a student to get into it and realize it’s not for them. Especially now that there is an extra charge for taking a class more than twice, “burning” one of those chances on an internet class is a poor gamble.”

To receive more information on Internet courses, log onto the SPC website at southplainscollege.edu or contact Jones at 894-9611, ext. 2243.