Have you dreamed of a course with at home testing, extreme flexibility, and barely any commitment? Maybe an online class is a good option for you to look into.

With this being said, there are many things to consider when deciding to enroll in an online course.

Comparing the curriculum of an online class to the coursework given in a classroom environment is a nearly impossible task.

Out of all the core subjects offered during high school, history seems to be the subject with the most popularity and enrollment in online classes. Taking core classes online has a well-known negative effect on a student’s college applications.

Online classes unfortunately promote procrastination, allow cheating, and take away from our overall education.  

I have personally taken two online courses which were categorized as electives. Like many other overloaded students, I took these two classes over the summer because there were not available space in my class schedule.

Many students will also enroll in a course online if it is not offered at their high school and still wish to take the class. Students who do take the classes often enjoy flexible schedules, light workloads, and easy grades.

Online classes can be helpful for various reasons to students here at PVHS, but these courses have the potential to be very harmful to our education.   

Online classes are dangerous because they weaken our learning experiences.  The integration of independent learning allows for dishonest work, which is risked with online courses.

These courses consistently assign large amounts of busy work, which normally is not beneficial to gaining knowledge.

Many students admit to learning close to nothing in a course that costs nearly a thousand dollars. In reality, students are basically paying for their grades.

Although an online class can result in an easy A, admissions officers know the true nature of online classes and may regard this course as a fluff class or grade-point-average booster and this easy A may seem like a mediocre grade.  

With academic integrity already in decline, it is unfair for dishonest students to take too many online classes with such easy availability to cheat and receive a free grade. The increasing academic dishonesty behind high school students is explainable due to the demanding standards of college admission officers.

Cheating in an online class is pointless because these courses already integrate the minimal material required to cover.

When students are able to cheat in these classes, they miss out on even more knowledge in which they never usually attempt to obtain.

It is also crucial to not cheat because this may cause one to develop bad habits for the classroom. The setting of a classroom environment is extremely different compared to the setting of your bedroom.  

Although some students love working at their own pace in an online course, the overall effectiveness of online classes is negative for students wishing to receive a thorough education.

When I was enrolled in an online class I was barely engaged with the material and I struggled focusing with all the other distractions at home. This included other applications on my computer, visitation from friends, and basically every other aspect of at home life.

I also thoroughly discourage how many online schools distribute due dates by making many assignments due on the same day. Students learn to procrastinate with many assignments overtime and develop bad habits for the regular classroom.  

All of the negative aspects regarding online classes causes me as an individual to advise against enrollment.  

Although there are both pros and cons of taking an online course, I personally believe that the cons undeniably outweigh the benefits.