How would you like to sit in your dorm room with the television playing in the background for your English class? 

How about not having to change out of your pajamas?  What about taking tests when you feel prepared, and getting to choose when it fits your schedule? 

For students who like the sound of this, online classes may be something to look into.
Many Texas universities, such as the University of Texas, Baylor University and Texas A&M University, have begun providing online courses for students.

Many students across the nation are drawn to the idea of taking a course where they do not have to leave the comfort of their own rooms or homes, shaping the syllabus to their own schedules. 

This growing trend is providing students with a new way to earn credit hours for graduation. 

Instead of sitting in a lecture hall with 100 plus students all listening to one professor, adhering to specific due dates and exam times, students can now pick and choose their own schedule and do their work on their own. 

Another attraction of online classes is that they are typically less expensive than traditional classes. 

But online classes aren’t perfect. 

The downside to this new concept of freedom in, and even of, the classroom lacks a structured learning environment, so many students allow their online classes to sink to the bottom of their lengthy to-do list.

This eventually leads the student to either an end of semester surge to finish all their work in time, or to just drop the course completely.

In spite of how easy it is to fall behind, online courses have gained great momentum over the past few years. 

According to a Reuters report, online education grew by 13 percent last year, and nearly one quarter of students in the country are now taking some type of online courses.

With the trend becoming more and more popular among the nation’s students, some SMU students want the opportunity to take these classes instead of being cemented to the traditional classroom setting.

SMU freshman Kayla Dietz is interested in online classes because of convenience.

“I would take online classes because it would be easier to take at home instead of leaving my dorm and going to an actual classroom,” she said.

Others believe that online classes would actually be a disservice to their education, and in the end hurt their grades.

SMU sophomore Amanda Snider believes that she wouldn’t have the personal work ethic to get her work for online classes done.

“I would not take online classes because I would not be able to sit down and do the work without a set schedule,” she said. “My traditional classes would become my top priority, making the online ones a second priority.”

SMU freshman Jess Deware said she believes that online classes could impede effective learning environments.

“I don’t think I would take online class, because I think that it is important to learn in an active environment within the classroom,” he said. “I believe that interaction between the professor and other students is essential to learning.”

Some students believe that online classes could be fun and helpful in getting core courses done more quickly.

Senior Ronnie Davis thinks that online classes would also be great to get some last-minute courses out of the way.

“I would not take online classes in history or political science, because half the fun is the type of professor you get,” she said. “I would be open to take online courses for some of my business courses since the subject matter can be pretty straight forward.”

Even though online courses may not be for everyone, many students are interested.
It is probably only a matter of time before SMU will begin to provide an online curriculum option.