Online Learing

Nicole Willms

Enterprise Story

            With family, work and other responsibilities many think twice about getting a college education. The ability to take online classes helps those get farther head in life.

Online classes help give people the opportunities to get that much closer to finishing a college degree. Not everyone is available to take classes on campus because of their schedules, whether it is they are working, and have families to take care of or have other responsibilities going on in their lives. Online classes are convenient for most but not everyone can cope with online learning. Kim Lynch, an Anoka Ramsey staff member who works with Education Services said, “Students taking online classes tend to do a little worse with their GPA than students who are in land-based classes. Many reason play into factor here. Some students don’t take the time they need to get work done, online classes seem to be at a more high speed rate and students can’t keep up and some people just are not made to take online classes. Students both online and land-based classed earn As, Bs and Cs, but land-based students tend to earn these grades at a higher percentage.”

There is a higher demand to keep up with the schedule when taking an online class. However it’s not only hard for the students, the teachers have a high responsibility to get the information out there for their students to see and understand. Tesha Christensen, a professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College said, “As a teacher it is very different teaching a seated class versus an online class. When teaching a seated class, the lecture is the most important component. You can build upon your basic material with classroom activities, PowerPoints and movie clips. Online teaching is a whole different arena. Like many Christensen also has a family and things going in her life. So as a teacher she can understand why others decided to take online classes.  Like the students you are alone behind a computer screen. It’s hard as a teacher to understand whether or not your students understand the concepts being given to them. So students have to somewhat teach themselves the information and relay on feedback from other students and myself through a discussion board and assignments.” Christensen also said preparing for an online class tends to take more time than if she were teaching a seated class.

            As a student Melissa Nelson knows firsthand that the negatives out weight the positives when it comes to online learning. Being a mother of two and working full time, she doesn’t have much time to spend in the class room. Nelson said, “If it weren’t for online classes I am not sure that I would be able to get my college degree. I have to work to support my family. I enjoy taking online classes but they are stressful. I have to be on top of things otherwise I run the risk of falling behind and that is never good.” Nelson is not the only student who benefits from the college offering online classes. Bert Sieler is another student who is happy that the college he attends offers online classes. “Even though I find the classroom to be easier to learn in, with less distraction than being at home, I am thankful the school offers online classes. My life is too busy with work and family to attend class during the day or at night. Don’t get me wrong there are classes I take that are in the classroom but I do take a lot of my classes online so I can do them at my pace in the comfort of my home.”

If it weren’t for online classes many people might not be able to get a college education they desire. So who decides what classes are available to students and when? According to Lynch there is no one person that gets to decide what classes are available. There are a variety of things: student demands, low enrollment in land-based classes and connection to four-year programming to name a few. Not all category classes are available online. “If a professor does not feel they can teach the course with quality those classes will not be offered”, said Lynch. Anoka Ramsey continues to do what they can to offer a variety of classes for students. In fact according to Lynch the connection to four-year programs, Anoka Ramsey’s business division was one of the first to offer a large variety of online classes, in part to link to an online bachelor’s degree at Metropolitan State

Things in today’s world are changing more and more and people with or without college degrees are starting to think again about going back to school. They are deciding to go back to school to not only better themselves but also to help their families. Lynch said the college will never stop offering online classes and more are becoming available so she does not foresee any issues with classes not being available for those that need them.