I got an A on my MIDTERM!!!

[WhyYou]

My current college course is Technology, Science, and Culture. Because my courses are all online, a discussion board (similar to this message board in many ways) is used for interaction between the students and the professor. My professor is currently living in Spain and connects to her students from there. This week we are discussing Philosophy and how it pertains to Technology. Also, for the entire course session, the student have been divided up into teams so there is a team project due each week. Since I usually have more time than any of my teammates, I volunteer to be the team leader. The course is now in the 5th week (there are only 8 weeks for each course) and I have maintained an A so far! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!

[geolarson2]

Fantastic WhyYou! Really well done!

[laranger]

Congrats WhyYou, nicely done.

[eastbill]

congrats why you.

[tigger]

Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anoree]

Congratulations, WhyYou!

[FTVfanatic]

Originally Posted by WhyYou

...Because my courses are all online, a discussion board (similar to this message board in many ways) is used for interaction between the students...

Congrats WhyYou! However, it's somehow sad that the element of human interaction in real life is lacking. I mean, all of your courses are online? Wow. When I think back the time in college, I had all the fun in the world during many group work assignments. Ahh, how much fun was it to work (with) the young, female students.

Being online somewhat ruins the human contact that is sometimes very important in teaching/learning. For me, it's hard to imagine how taking all courses online would actually work...

[WhyYou]

Originally Posted by FTVfanatic

Congrats WhyYou! However, it's somehow sad that the element of human interaction in real life is lacking. I mean, all of your courses are online? Wow. When I think back the time in college, I had all the fun in the world during many group work assignments. Ahh, how much fun was it to work (with) the young, female students.

Being online somewhat ruins the human contact that is sometimes very important in teaching/learning. For me, it's hard to imagine how taking all courses online would actually work...

Online courses aren't for every student. Some people take them because of their limited time frames, some because they work all day and half the night so they can do their work during the weekends or in the midnight hours, and some (like me) take them because getting to regular classes is a real problem. I'm hooked to an oxygen machine 24/7 and would have to drag an oxygen bottle behind me as well as a book bag if I were taking classroom courses.

DeVry Ubiversity uses a lot of innovative techniques for running it's online classes. There is a web conferencing set up so that students can use their microphones to connect with each other and hold team meetings as well as attend live conferences. For most courses there are requirements for posting on the discussion board, written material to turn in each week, and open book/notes quizzes and exams. All written material is run through an online service that checks for plagiarism. Each student must be responsible enough to do the required work on time and keep up with the class. Young people would probably not do well with online courses because they would have a tendency to shirk their work and hope to be able to make up their grade with extra work and exams. Such is not the case with online courses. Under unusual circumstances the professors may make special arrangements (such as when I had my computer's power supply die). But if all the required work is not completed on time, without having made any special arrangements, then the course will not be passed.