Online Classes

It takes a great deal of organization and stamina to stay focused online, as a student AND as a professor. My first degree was straight face to face coursework and my second was 100% Online. I'll never go back to taking face to face courses if I can help it. I also love to teach online whenever I get the opportunity. It sounds like you need to stay on top of this by following up with emails to the professor once a week minimum. I taught online courses and that was what I recommended to all of my students because it was recommended to me when I was a student. Once you get a handle on how the professor teaches the coursework, you can either do less or more emailing to gain clarity. It also helps to use the forums in the classroom. Communication among the students in classes is so very helpful. I was encouraged to use it when I was a student, and I wholly encourage it as a professor. I can completely understand your frustration. I've had to work with teachers like this... What I'm not understanding or getting the full information about is whether or not you've emailed this professor a great deal or if you've contacted the Chair of the department where the teacher works. I've had two students complain about *me* about things very much like this issue you've stated but they were also the ones failing and *never* turning in their homework on time. One of them turned everything in at once at the very end of the year and expected it to be graded within 72 hours (over 20 assignments, 2 that were case studies and 2 were 5 page reports). Let me add that it was also exam time. He wrote a formal complaint to my supervisors. All I had to do was turn over all my email and course related materials to the supervisors to prove that he did not, in fact, pull his weight in responsibility for his own education. I'm not saying that *you* are that kind of student, but I do want to state my case before assumptions are made about the online arena. It's just like any other coursework. I personally found it better to work through my coursework in the online atmosphere because it took away all the other worries and expenses (ie: parking fees and time to drive around and FIND a spot that wasn't on the other side of the school from my classroom). Plus I was able to just sit at a table with my laptop and focus on my work without all those social distractions... and I could take it anywhere there was a connection. Remember this....at the end of the year you SHOULD receive some sort of feedback survey from your school that you will need to fill out. It is *supposed* to be an anonymous form. Your teacher never knows who said what... If you don't fill it out and tell this person's supervisors how he's doing as a teacher, he will never improve. . . and if this has happened in the past, this information can be used against the teacher so he can be relieved of duty or not have his contract renewed when it comes due. Additionally, it is a good idea to ask other students in your group if they are having similar issues. If they are, then they can tell you what worked for them. Also be sure to contact his supervisor or the Chair of the department.

...Hi treedezy, Welcome to the ranch. I love school and learning, but I would think you really have to be disciplined to participate in taking on-line classes so I applaude you for your effort. Is there no way to get a message to your teacher or is it just a wait and see thing with his timeline and not yours? That is a bummer. What do you do, scan your papers, email them or fax? Again you're good to try it. Good luck with completing your course. Take care.

I have taken online classes and unlike you, they have been very rewarding to me. The professors reply promptly and communication with fellow students were facilitated. The lectures took place on a discussion forum where the professor would asked questions based on the readings and students would answer the questions and respond to the answers of their fellow students. I took nine classes online total of 27 credits and they were all similar. Grades were always posted shortly after assignments were submitted. I took one class, a literature class covering the renaissance period through the 19th century and questions were posted for discussion 3 times per week with a weekly assignment due on the first day of the week. So the freedom to choose what time i would come on was severely affected. But it was better than appearing physically to a classroom on a specific day and time. I know that like you and I, others have other opinions about online classes. But I think overall, it is good to have the option.