Online Class Review: Eastern Shore Community College in Virginia

I wanted to take Creative Writing, but not the general introductory class because it requires writing poetry. When none of the colleges in my area offered Creative Writing - Fiction, I searched for an online class for it through the Virginia Community College System. Seeing that Eastern Shore Community College had it available online, I called the college to see how to sign up. I certainly didn't live near there so registering in person certainly wasn't an option.

The lady was very helpful that I was transferred to. She told me that I didn't have to send my transcripts there since I was only taking the one class. She also told me that a placement test wasn't required since I had a bachelor's degree (which meant I'd obviously completed the necessary prerequisites). She helped me enroll in the class and then told me to contact the bookstore to see what book was required so I could buy it locally. Usually, bookstores don't like to tell people over the phone what books are required for a class, but I didn't even have to say that I was taking the class online to find out. They were very friendly and helpful. The school was excellent in all areas of registration.

The teacher

Since I've taken classes at a community college before, I already knew that this class would be easy. It isn't a myth that community college classes are easier. But I had no idea it was going to be as easy as it was. The teacher didn't enforce his own rules that required the submitted writing assignments to have proper grammar. In short, the teacher was a push over and most of the class received As. It was a bit aggravating because I felt like I was the only person who was proofreading my own work and really trying in the class.

What are online classes like?

This wasn't the first online class I've taken where the students got to arguing on the provided forum on the website for the class. However, it was one of the worse. The teacher had such a laid back style of teaching that it only made matters worse. People wrote parody of other's stories, insulted each other, and that's just an overview. The teacher had a really hard time controlling the class.

Since I've had a few online classes, it's become apparent that teachers cannot control the class in online classes. The students tend to run over the teacher and do whatever they want, including turning assignments in late. In this online class, we had to critique each other's work. And since people were turning work in late, it became a real issue.

People always say that online classes are for disciplined people who can create their own schedule for doing the work, etc. But the part that is always left out is that you also need to be the kind of person who is a bit laid back. Otherwise, the total lack of structure in the online class is going to drive you insane. Not that all online classes are this bad, but the majority of them are.