Pros and Cons of Online College Classes

When you’re building your class schedule in college, there are plenty of factors to consider — how many credits you receive, how often the class is, what requirements the class fills, and so on. Something else that you might consider is if the class is in-person or online.

Ever since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been more opportunities for college classes to be led over Zoom or fully online; after about two years of this being the norm, some professors and students alike have found that they have a preference for online learning. But, maybe you aren’t sure what your preference is yet, and that’s okay! There are several benefits to online classes, but there can be setbacks as well.

The Pros of Online Classes

• Online classes can work well for those who are more introverted, and who get overwhelmed in large classes with lots of people. You can still interact with other students through online chats or forums that the professor (or students!) create, or you can make a study group — but that’s not a requirement! It’s up to you when you heavily interact with students, and you get to do it from your own space.
• Online classes are self-paced. Some online classes have due dates, of course, but there’s more flexibility in working ahead. Other online classes have a due date just at the end of the semester, allowing you to entirely self-pace. It takes a lot of motivation to handle this; however, this can work well for those who are driven and able to focus on their tasks and manage their time!
• When you’re in an online class, you’re not in a standard learning environment with big group discussions, in-class work during a specific time period, and in-person presentations. You won’t get your typical learning styles and assignments because the course content is adapted to a new platform. This can be a challenge, but if you’re looking for a challenge, or already prefer learning in new and interesting ways, online classes are a great way to give yourself some new learning experiences! Professors will use outside platforms for video responses and forums, have interactive documents for students to all add to, and find interesting ways of doing distanced group projects.
• If a standard classroom setting isn’t the right fit for you, online classes are a great option! You can find a place to set up in a library, coffee shop, or even your own room! It can be hard for some people to work in a classroom, and online classes give you some versatility on where you work and let you find a space that works for you.

The Cons of Online Classes

• Online classes can be great for introverts, but if you’re someone who is extroverted and likes a social learning environment, they may not be a great fit. You can always create group chats and such with other students in an online class, but that can be a bit difficult. You also lose the social interaction you’d usually get when going to a classroom — even though the class period is not necessarily for fun and chatting, those moments would still happen, and that goes away when you’re in an online learning environment.
• If you’re taking an online class in a subject you struggle with, it can be harder to reach your professor or other students if you need help. There isn’t an option to stay later after class, or work with people during a class period — you may have to work within office hours, or only communicate over email with a professor or other students. This can be tough when you have a class you’re needing extra support in.
• Though the self-pacing works for some people, it can be difficult to manage, especially if you have outside work, other classes, or just other things that fill your time. If time management is something you struggle with, a self-paced learning method can be hard to navigate, because it’s up to you when you schedule out time to do your classwork. It can make procrastination easier to slip into because of the lack of structure provided.
• There can be difficulty in building an online class schedule, as there may not be a lot of options at your institution for the classes you need. Unless you are doing a specifically online program, you may not be able to build a mostly- or fully-online schedule, especially if you are in a more niche path of study.

Online classes can be a great fit for some people, and a struggle for others. There’s a lot to take into consideration — how you learn and work best, how much social interaction you want, how you manage your time, and so on. There can be a lot of versatility in how you learn, so don’t be afraid to find what works best for you and experiment with different class styles!

Written by Grayson Buckley, Press & Written Media team

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