Freshman Emily Gaskey said she is taking an online class because the lure of extra sleep was too great to pass up, especially when she is busy with both school and a job at the Athletic Department.
Gaskey is one of a growing number of students who have started to take University classes through the Internet. She said she’s enjoyed not having to go to class and has learned the same amount of information a normal class would offer.
But she said she misses the opportunity to interact with her professor and has noticed the need to memorize more information.
Most classes offered via the Internet in the Distance Education program are designed so students need to meet with their professors only three to four times per quarter. Each class is structured differently, but most assign homework by e-mail and allow students to respond electronically.
Whether Distance Education courses will gain in popularity in the future and begin to rival traditional classroom learning remains to be seen, but many feel in-class learning will never be completely replaced.
Retired professor William Orr, who helped start the online program at the University about four years ago, said he believes only 20 percent of the campus population will take online courses on a regular basis in the future.
He said students who already live near campus should focus on the full college experience and not spend their time in front of a computer screen.
But he added that students should take classes, whether they’re in a physical classroom or a virtual one.
“If you’re on campus, you should take courses any way you can,” he said.
Bonnie Morihara, program associate of Distance Learning for the Oregon University System, said she believes the possibility of taking classes exclusively online is real, but there must be better technology before this happens.
“Obviously, as we get greater bandwidth and technology it won’t be such a problem,” she said.
She said advanced technology may not be available to people living in rural areas of the state, which can hamper their ability to access classes online.
Scott Merryman, a graduate teaching fellow of economics who teaches two online courses, said he thinks online courses are strong, but classrooms provide for better learning.
“The learning experience might be better in a classroom setting,” he said. “Usually the students are satisfied with the class but miss the student interaction.”
Morihara agreed and said students can gain a lot from the campus experience.
But there are times when students are just not able to go to class.
She said conflicts, such as jobs and athletic events, are reasons why students opt to take online courses.
“They need more flexible time options,” she said.
Orr, who teaches an oceanography class online, said the students he receives in class come from different parts of the nation. He said those in the military frequent his classes the most.
“People taking [classes] online are a different breed of students,” he said. Some say online classes are equivalent to classroom learning and may even provide for better understanding of the material.
“Generally, I think the students learn as much as in a regular class,” Merryman said.
He said students who are interested in online classes need to keep up with their reading because there is no one to guide them along. Because of this, he said, students might prefer to attend classes in actual classrooms.
Morihara said online courses allow students to not only learn from their professors, but others in the class as well.
“In a typical class the only person who reads the work is the professor,” she said. “Online classes allow for a lot of student viewing, and everyone has a chance to learn from each other.”
She said the structure of the classes can provoke stronger thought from students.
“The organization of the learning can be enhanced by the think time you have to respond to something,” she said.
Orr said he structures his online classes so that students get the most from what they study. He assigns two midterms and one final, with all three being in essay form. He said this cuts down on the amount of time required to write the test, and it helps students understand the material better.
Morihara said online classes are a great tool for students to be able to take advantage of, but warned that the classes are not for everyone.
“Students who don’t have good time management do much worse in online courses,” she said. “Online classes are not good for procrastinators.”