Class Types: Face-to-Face, Distance Learning or Hybrid

There are many different ways to take classes especially college classes. You have the traditional face-to-face classes, distance learning or online classes and what they call a hybrid class. Which course of study is best for you depends on what type of student you are and what the course entails. In some cases, you may not have a choice in what type of classes you will take; they may only offer certain classes a particular way.

Are you a disciplined student? Some people think that distance learning/online courses mean you have until the final day to finish. What they really mean is that the assignments are given as in a face-to-face class, and there are due dates for every assignment. You may have videos or slideshows to watch and then answer questions for a quiz. The quiz will open at a certain time and close at a certain time. If you are not disciplined, the time may slip up on you and you may miss the quiz. The same goes for major exams and/or papers. Even though you can still post to discussion boards, they will be posted with the correct day and time; so again if you are not disciplined you may actually miss this assignment. You should be a person who can stick to a schedule.

If you like the interaction of a classroom with the other students and/or you like to ask questions and have them answered immediately, you need the traditional face-to-face class. You may even enjoy the communication between professor and students. If you need constant reminders, then the face-to-face is for you.

You may be the type of person who wants the best of both worlds. You are the person who wants to come to class for the lecture/presentation and do everything else online. Then you are a hybrid class person. In this situation you usually meet once a week and do the remainder of your class work online. There is another major reason a lot of people like hybrid classes; they can basically take another hybrid class at the same time since you are only doing part of the class face-to-face.

Most of us are somewhere in between. Some classes we feel that we can take online and be successful, and some we feel we need to be in a traditional classroom setting to be successful. There is basically no right or wrong way to take a class, it just depends on your learning style.

Depending upon your degree, there are some employers that like for you to have some face-to-face classroom interaction or hybrid classes. This lets them know that you can interact with others which is a large part of most jobs.

If you are unsure of what type of class is best for you, try out a continuing education class in a distance learning or hybrid format. This will enable you to get the feel of these types of classes without the fear of lowering your gpa.