7 Things You Should Know Before Taking Online Classes

There are lots of individuals who want to go back to school to further their education in their line of work or change their line of work.  These individuals may find it hard to do go back to school because they have to work or they have family obligations.  This is why more and more people are turning to online education to fit college into their busy lifestyles.  Before you choose to take online classes, you should be know that they are different than conventional classes in some critical ways.  These gaps may cancel out the benefits of a flexible learning program for you.  Here are 7 things you should know before taking online classes.

1 – Self-Motivation

Online classes aren’t for everybody. Success with this format requires a lot of self-motivation.
Students should realize that they’ll work equally as hard in an online course as they will in a conventional course. Independent, disciplined, and productive students tend to be most successful with online classes.

2 –  Procrastination

Online classes allow you to study whenever you need to, but don’t wait until the last minute.  If you have a regular habit of procrastinating then online classes are not for you.

3 – Time-Management Skills

Without strong time-management skills, the benefits of online classes quickly become disadvantages.  You need to know how to create your own schedule and stick with it.  This includes scheduling a certain amount of time to each task.

4 – Real Professors Teach Online Classes

If the school you’re attending is licensed, your class will be taught by a credentialed professor.  Even though you may never meet them in person, the lesson plans that they provide you will resemble in class courses that they teach.  The sole difference is that you will be in contact with them through online discussion boards, emails, and online lecture sessions.

5 – Social Interaction

You may worry that learning online will make interaction with other students challenging.  Fortunately, that is not true.  You may not share a classroom together, but you can still talk and collaborate.  Online classes have discussion boards, online chat, and video conferencing to help connect students.  This promotes social interaction.

6 – Standards

Online classes use specific tools to monitor students. This allows schools to evaluate the students and preserve academic integrity.  Using these tools sustains the quality and standing of your online degree.  Some classes even require proctored on-campus testing.  If you live far from campus, you might want to check the requirements before registering.

7 – Quality

This is point is very important to understand: while online degrees have become increasingly more common, some are viewed more favorably than others.

The principal concern for employers is the quality and consistency of the college the courses are taken at.
In actuality, an employer opinion is often determined by three things:

• Certification
• Campus
• College brand

Generally speaking, the higher the school’s ranks on these factors, the more favorably employers will view the degree.

Recent issues involving  the quality for-profit online schools have made headlines.  The FTC acted on complaints from students in an Bachelor of Science and Human Services online degree program.  Many students applied for jobs only to find that employers had rejected their degrees, mentioning the program wasn’t properly accredited. When some students received settlements, others lost precious time and money.

The principal concern for employers is the quality and consistency of the college that issues the degree.

These are 7 things you must consider before enrolling in an online class or degree program.  You have to see if is a right fit for you and also that you are enrolling in an accredited program that will help you achieve you career goals.