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Online vs OnsiteThese are just some of the cities I have visited whilst completing this online class. I started this course in Sydney and am writing this final essay in northern california, after spending time in each of the above cities during the duration of the course. Obviously this would not have been possible if I had opted for an onsite class. This is certainly no criticism of the onsite program but praise for the flexibility of online which afforded me the chance to learn a potential new profession while continuing my day job. The lack of a set schedule has both its pluses and minuses, but, for me anyway, the online course has many more pluses. Besides the flexibility I particularly like the one-on-one attention I received by having a specific tutor assigned to me. My tutor, Peter, was both hard but fair in his assessments, but even more important he proved to be a great resource for additional information. At the end of each lesson he provided ideas, and online resources that will help me as I move through my ESL teaching days. I have my doubts that I would have received as much individual attention in a classroom setting as I did by having a specific tutor. Onsite classes have much more rigid time frames, per each class, as well as number of classes. Also as I learned in this course, everyone learns at a different pace, which can cause quicker learners to get bored, or worse, annoyed with those that might grasp certain elements of the course at a slower pace. These are issues which need to be dealt with in any onsite class, whether ESL, high school or college. Although I have never taken an onsite ESL class, all my previous education was done in onsite classroom settings. So, not specific to ESL classes I still believe I have a notion of how classroom settings operate. One of the advantages of an online class is the one-on-one approach. There are no distractions (other personalities) such as those which can occur in onsite classes. Also, I was able to move at a pace that suited me, and not beholden to the stricter time frames that onsite classes are required to maintain. It is difficult to try and juggle job, family, life, and be at a classroom (which may be some distance from home) at a set time each week. And if you by chance miss a class (and are allowed to make it up outside of class) you, the student, are then behind the rest of the class. And nothing spells disaster like falling behind in a class as everyone else is moving forward. The online system assures that this is almost impossible. I can understand why a freshly minted college grad might opt for the onsite course, especially if accessibility to the classroom is not a problem, but for me as a middle aged individual the online course was a far superior choice. I was tentative at first but as the course progressed I realized that I was doing more ?outside? class research based on prompts from my tutor, and now I believe I am ready to begin a new career as an ESL teacher. In conclusion, I think any individual considering an ESL class should weigh the benefits (and negatives) of online vs onsite. Choosing online has proven to be the smart choice for me, and I am now encouraged to consider further ESL teaching studies using the online method.
