What’s Wrong with Skipping Your Online Classes?
You had to work an extra shift last night and now you’re really tired. You know you have a lecture to watch and an assignment due this morning, but you hit the snooze button. You can make it up, right? Probably not.
When you take classes virtually, you may be tempted to skip classes. After all, the instructor doesn’t stand over your shoulder or take attendance when you study at home. But this habit can be detrimental to your academic success and your future career. Here’s what’s wrong with skipping online classes:
You Miss Important Information if You Skip Online Class
You’re here to learn. If you want to succeed in your online courses, you need to attend. It’s that simple. When you don’t attend class, you miss important information that may be the foundation for what comes next. Whether class is an online lecture or a PowerPoint you review on your own, don’t miss out. The information could pop up on a future test or assignment. Or—it could be a valuable lesson you’ll need to succeed in your career. Skipping class is also a way to miss out on announcements and news that your instructor feels is valuable enough to share.
Skipping Your Online Class Wastes Money and Time
You worked hard to enroll in your program, and to ensure your tuition was paid. Every time you skip class it’s like giving money to your college and getting nothing in return. And if you receive financial aid, you could put your future eligibility for it in danger by skipping class. You need to make satisfactory progress in your program to receive federal financial aid and it’s hard to successfully progress in your program if you don’t attend class.
Missing Online Class Hurts Your Grades
After high school, there isn’t a whole lot of opportunities for extra credit and makeup assignments. If you deliberately skip class or even a single assignment, it can negatively impact your grade—and you may not have a second chance to fix it. And if you continue to skip class, you increase your chances of failing, which will impact your standing in the program.
Your Online Instructors Won’t Take You Seriously
Your instructors will notice if you don’t attend or participate in the class. What message does that send? That you don’t take your coursework seriously. And if you don’t put an effort into your studies, you probably won’t put an effort into your career either. You never know when you might need advice or guidance from your instructor, so you don’t want to leave them with a bad impression.
You Can’t Socialize with Your Online Classmates
Even online programs offer ample opportunity to meet new people. If you don’t participate, you might miss out on class discussions, study groups, and after-class gatherings whether in person or online. Your peers can help you study and make you feel less alone, but you won’t have the chance to interact with them if you don’t make the effort. In fact, to pull away from social opportunities could hurt you in the long run. The students in your class will work in your industry too, and they could be part of your professional network but only if you make a good impression on them.
Skipping Your Online Class Is a Hard Habit to Break
Once you skip one class, you have less worry and anxiety about skipping a second class. And it will continue to get easier. That means your habit will be harder to break. Online classes offer a lot of convenience and flexibility, but you do need to motivate yourself to complete them. If something happens in your personal life that affect your ability to attend class, talk to your instructor and ask for their advice. They are there to help you and they want to see you succeed.
Attending online classes may not always be easy, but it offers a lot of rewards. At Charter College, we offer a variety of online programs that can prepare you for a career in Health Care, Business, Information Technology, or the Trades. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.