I am currently enrolled at a community college and taking online courses that are self based and indepedent studies. I was just curious.. when I transfer to a 4-year college will I be ready?? Is indepedent learning as good as group classes? Thank you for any help.
Start by clicking here to read the articles on this very site. You'll find most of the answers you seek in said articles. You should definitely read them first. And, I should add, it's not that your questions aren't good or anything like that. It's just that they're so basic that I believe you'll find answers to them in the reading; and then, having fairly well educated yourself on the subject of distance learning, generally, you'll come back here and have even better questions... and then things will really start to get interesting for you around here! Welcome, by the way!
I've alway hated group work, and I don't feel it's better than independent study work, unless you plan to do groupwork in your career. I'm sure some students have had positive experiences, but I believe they are the exception. The biggest winners are the slackers who rely upon the others in their group, and they are NOT a rarity. With independent study, it's just you, the instructor and the material. I like not having deadlines, or having to rely upon an internet connection to complete the work. The traditional paper independent study course, in my opinion, remains the most flexible, dependable and efficient method. If you've done well in these courses, you might find it a strain to deal with some of the personalities in groupwork formats, not because you're not prepared academically, but as a result of relying upon strangers in all parts of the world, who will not or can not do their share of the work. Happily, groupwork is not the only way to go. There are still plenty of independent study options for a complete 4-year degree. For example, you could enroll at Excelsior, COSC or TESC and continue to take independent study courses from the school of your choice. LSU, Iowa, Adams State, Indiana and others still offer complete degrees through independent study.
