FIUSM Staff
opinion@fiusm.com
English majors are the latest group of university students to be at the mercy of the University’s online initiative.
University-wide, students and faculty are divided on the effectiveness and validity of online classes, and this editorial board is no different.
While some members of this editorial board use online classes to advance and to take classes on their own time, others find the lack of interaction and faulty online systems offputting.
Common concerns associated with online classes are economic pressures and cheating. Although professors often require the use of programs such as Respondus Lockdown Browser, students in the same section of an online course often meet to take tests and quizzes together in order to better their chances of passing their exams. While study groups are beneficial to most classes, the fact is, taking a test with other members of a course is cheating.
Students sign academic honesty policies in any class they take – whether or not they immediately face consequences for violating those contracts, students should at least have the moral capacity not to risk their academic and professional careers in the future.
Students are also not commonly monitored so referencing material is easy to do during a quiz or an exam.
Online classes can also be a heavy financial burden. A $160 fee is added to the standard cost of the course, not including textbooks or any supplemental materials like access to Pearson’s MyLab – which you cannot access without purchasing a course-code. These materials can cost anywhere from $60 to $200.
But, online classes are a godsend to students who work full-time, need a flexible travel, suffer from anxiety wanting to avoid the frustrations of crowded classrooms or students who want to accelerate their education and graduate early or on-time. FIU students are notorious for their propensity for graduating within five or six years, rather than the recommended four. A propensity the university suffers for when it comes to performance metrics and state funding.
Everyone has a different style of learning – knowing oneself is the best way to know one’s limitations and needs. Moreover, everyone’s experiences in college are going to be different. While one student has a fantastic experience with and connection to an online professor, others might feel that they are simply aloof, and the same could happen to anyone taking an on-campus course.
The merits and demerits of online vs. in-person education are many. However, it is up to each individual student to choose what is best for them and succeed as a result of that choice.
It is up to students to make the most out of their education.
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