ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THIS KIND OF ONLINE COURSE

There are NO CLASS MEETINGS. You do the entire course on your computer.

• Advantage: saves a lot of time
• Advantage: work on your own schedule at any time, day or night
• Disadvantage: can't go to class to find out what's going on, have to pay attention and keep track of what's happening
  

CLASSWORK IS DONE ON THE INTERNET with a discussion board and email. All of the class assignments and notes are posted online.

• Advantage: no need to take notes, the whole class is written down and saved online
• Disadvantage: have to constantly pay attention to keep up with what's going on
• Advantage: everyone gets an equal chance to speak
• Advantage: ideas are more important than personalities
• Disadvantage: never meet professor or other students face-to-face, so no interpersonal communication occurs
• Disadvantage: without interpersonal communication, it's difficult to sway opinions by the force of your personality
  

Each week YOU POST YOUR HOMEWORK ON THE CLASS DISCUSSION BOARD: everyone reads and discusses your work, and you read and discuss theirs.

• Advantage: get immediate feedback and lots of help from others
• Disadvantage: there's "nowhere to hide" if you haven't done your homework
  

There are NO TESTS OR EXAMINATIONS: grades are based on class discussion and weekly written assignments.

• Advantage: no cramming for exams
• Advantage: time to think out your answers and edit them before you post them
• Disadvantage: no cramming for exams
• Disadvantage: no way to put things off early in the course and score big points on the midterm and final exams
  

PROFESSOR LIVES 300 MILES AWAY: can only be reached by email.

• Advantage: always available to answer questions, can talk to him any time
• Disadvantage: no face-to-face meetings, don't get to know him personally