To see how students view online classes, Caryn Esplin, a professor in the Communication Department, conducted a study of 152 students majoring in Communication this past August and September.

“The overall impression was surprisingly negative,” Esplin said.

The biggest reason for the negative attitude was because of the lack of social interaction, Esplin said.

“They missed contact with other classmates,” Esplin said. “They said teachers weren’t participating in forums or weren’t available enough to them.”

Kellee Fremming, a junior from Merced, Calif., said teacher interaction often frustrates her in online classes, especially when the teacher doesn’t have his or her Web site organized or has hidden their syllabus somewhere on Blackboard.

“It’s harder to like an online teacher,” Fremming said.

One of the main positive reasons students take online classes is the convenience and flexibility.

“There is an indication that convenience is valued,” said Henry J. Eyring, associate academic vice president. “As they build a schedule they can get that last class to fit without disrupting the others.”

Fremming has taken online classes when she has been on-track and off-track.

“It’s really flexible and fits better for a work schedule sometimes, but you need to be organized,” Fremming said.

Organization and self-motivation is a challenge both students and teachers have found with online classes.

“I like online classes,” said Andrew Curtis, a junior from Temecula, Calif. “They require a lot more attention though.  I think they are harder than normal classes because unlike normal classes you don’t have to go to class everyday. You just have to remember to check Blackboard online to make sure you are turning in the assignments.”

Lane Williams, a Communication Department professor, said he tries to block off time to devote to his online class every week, just like he tells his students to do, and has found that he has to motivate his students more, especially when deadlines draw near.

Esplin said that some of that might be due to the fact that many online classes at BYU-Idaho are either correspondence classes or purely online classes.

“We’re enhancing all of the online courses with the introduction in the fall of a Bachelor’s degree in university studies all online,” Eyring said.

“We are introducing more courses and greater interactivity built into it so it’s easier for students and faculty to interact online.”