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Should I study online or on campus?

Are you cut out better for learning online or in a traditional on-campus program? The answer is totally up to you

By Christine Javery, 8/19/09

There are more learning options than ever available to adult learners.

However, be warned: Just because there are many distance learning programs to choose from doesn’t mean they are all right for you.

So how do you know if you’d do better learning online or on campus? Here are some introspective questions to help you decide.

• Do you work well alone?
• Do you need face-to-face contact with your instructor?
• Are you able to meet timelines set by others?
• Do you have 10 to 15 hours a week for school work?
• Can you learn by reading alone, or do you learn better listening to a lecture?
• Do you have regular access to a computer and Internet?
• Are you comfortable using word processing and spreadsheet software?
• Are you disciplined?
• Do you communicate well in writing?
• How well do you adapt to new learning environments?
• Do you tend to procrastinate?
• Do you have extensive work/family commitments?

When to choose on-campus programs

If you need face-to-face contact with your instructor and peers, if you enjoy working as part of a group, if you communicate better verbally than in written form or if you have not yet mastered solid time-management skills, then you may do better in an on-campus environment. An on-campus environment also provides a familiar learning structure that some adult learners find helpful.

When to choose an online program

If your work or personal life does not allow you the ability to attend classes at established times each week, if you work better on your own and are comfortable with technology, then online learning may be your best option.

Distance learning students are generally organized self-starters who work well independently with limited reminders for assignments and due dates.

Try both online and on campus

If you think distance learning might work for you, but are nervous about taking all of your courses in an online format, look for an institution that offers blended or hybrid programs. Blended programs incorporate aspects of both the on-campus and online environments.

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One Response to “Should I study online or on campus?”

1. Tay says:

   January 8, 2010 at 11:48 am

   I prefer being in a classroom because I think it’s great to have the interaction of people who have read the same piece of literature, but have a completely different view. On the other hand, I can’t quit work to go back to school, and there aren’t any universities within an hour to hour and a half drive of where I live, let alone a school with an evening program. So, I like online because it means I still have the option for education even though my circumstances prohibit me from attending campus. I have worked for both on campus and online schools and I find they both have their advantages and disadvantages for students.