Cerritos College
Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

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Online classes can set up students for failure

Online classes suck in comparison to traditional classes. Like the saying goes, “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.”

Even though sometimes it can be more difficult to enroll into a traditional class, students should consider that if they enroll into an online class, they will basically be teaching themselves.

The online teachers may provide power-points and chapter sections to read, but if you are just completely lost, it is more difficult to explain to your professor the questions and concerns you may have unlike during a classroom lecture where the teacher can break it down for you.

Also, students tend to be incredibly lazy when taking online classes. It’s all on your own time, which can be a good thing if you are committed to spending the time to read chapters and take notes.

However, that is not the case for most. According to a 2011 study from the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Community college students enrolled in online courses fail and drop out more often than those whose coursework is classroom-based.”

Part of the reason students fail their online courses has to do with the fact that some students can’t even work the computer in order to access the information needed to take the courses.

There are so many parts of taking an online class that students have to go through. There’s websites with different folders and links, plus the possibility of your computer crashing and losing all of your work.

It would be a nightmare if your computer caught a virus and needed to be clean out in the middle of the semester. If that happens, you will have to find a place where you can go use a computer in order to get all of your work done.

It would be even worse if your computer suddenly crashed in the middle of a timed quiz.

When that happens, you’d really be wishing that you had taken the traditional classroom course instead.

Traditional courses are just a wiser decision. You can ask the teacher questions face-to-face during the lecture or during office hours, become more social by interacting with your fellow classmates, and you don’t have to stress out over technological difficulties.

You still have to buy the books and supplies required for taking the course, whether it’s online or in the classroom.

So unless you’re just that dedicated that you will go on your computer everyday, can learn the material with no problem, you should probably just stick to making the trip to school.

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About the Contributor
Lauren Gandara
Lauren Gandara, Editor in Chief
Hello, my name is Lauren Gandara and this is my fifth semester providing content for Talon Marks. After being a section editor for three years in a row since Fall 2011, I decided to take a semester off and did some freelance work. Coming back from taking a semester off, this is my final year as a member of the newspaper before I graduate as a journalism major. After leaving Cerritos College, my goal is to attend the University of Southern California and study telecommunications with a minor in fashion. After obtaining my Bachelor's, my goal is to become an on-camera reporter for E! News.
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Online classes can set up students for failure