The differences between online and in-person education vary and should be considered when choosing an education program.  By being aware of these differences and knowing what type of student you are, you may be able to find a program that allows you to get the most out of your education.

Communicating with Professors and Students

One of the main differences between online education and in-person education is the type of relationship you develop with other students and professors.  You may not get to know other students and professors as well as you would if you took in-person classes.  The main ways you would communicate are through e-mail, chat rooms and forums.  Your professors may respond more quickly to your e-mails than they would to your phone call, but these forms of communication may feel impersonal sometimes.

Responding to Class Topics

Since you’re not in the classroom listening to a professor’s lecture when you’re taking online courses, you won’t have to worry about a professor suddenly calling on you.  You may have more time to think about your answers and reflect on the responses from other students because you’ll probably be responding through e-mails and forums.  Being able to respond in this way may alleviate some of your anxiety about school and allow you to focus more on the material. You may also be able to develop your writing skills since you’ll be expressing your ideas in these written formats.

Developing Skills

Other than writing skills, you may also develop technological skills. Since online programs require you to work with a computer, you may also be working with different software programs. You may not have had the opportunity to work with these software programs if you took traditional in-person courses.  These skills may help you find a job easier after school, or you may even be able to ask for a higher starting salary since many employers want employees to be familiar with different software programs in their fields.  You may want to find out what time of software is used in your field, so you can take classes that offer you the opportunity to work with these software programs.

Taking More Initiative

Another significant difference is ‘that online communication encourages greater involvement’ since you may have to participate in online forums or write e-mails to your professors.  These types of responses may require more involvement than would be required in a large lecture class because it’s easy to remain anonymous or to sleep during class if you’re sitting in a large lecture hall.