As time passes, online courses are becoming more and more popular in the field of education. In 2014, an estimated 46% of college students took at least one online course in the 2014-2015 year. Also in 2014, it was predicted that in 2019, approximately half of college students would take e-Learning-based courses. (E-learning Industry, 2014). USA Today conducted a survey of more than 1,000 students nationwide and found that 78% of these students said they believe learning in the classroom is much easier than via the Internet. (Devin Karambelas. USA Today, 2013). The need for a laptop or computer is almost necessary now and students are forced to take an online course or choose to do so; without knowing what it entails or how things will be completed or even the content of the lesson itself. The broadest definition of an online course is a transfer of skills and knowledge using a computer. (Successful Degrees, 2014-2015) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Thinking about it, how many students can honestly say they understand every aspect of what an online course requires of a person without having taken one before? Students don't really realize how these types of classes work until they get into them because no one takes the time to explain it to them beforehand. Yes, there are course descriptions, but studying on a computer and learning in a physical classroom with a teacher and other students around are completely different learning styles. Online courses are not the smartest educational paths because they do not allow students to fully develop socially, there is no live help or guidance just when needed, and it is easier to fail online courses and the technology needed to complete them an online program is expensive. Digital Commons states that “students who freely choose online classes may have different characteristics than students who choose traditional in-person classes.” It takes a certain type of person to be able to teach online classes, and as ridiculous as it sounds, there aren't many truly motivated, determined, and focused students out there. It takes a certain level of ability to manage time and plan how students will complete the eight to ten week course at hand. About 87% of students would procrastinate and save most of their work until a week before the deadline and end up failing to complete it at all, earning themselves a nice F for the semester. (Huffington Post, 2015). In a physical school, students are pressured to complete their work in a timely manner, and it is not up to them to decide when to complete homework, but depends on the teacher's schedule. This issue is worth discussing because more and more students are being given the option or forced to take online classes when it may not be best for their learning or education overall. This topic is important to me because I took two online courses and both gave me less than pleasant experiences; Having said that, I am against online school. It takes away the possibility of developing more socially with peers and face-to-face interactions with teachers or professors. NeaToday states that most online education teachers are only “contingent or non-certified faculty members in the state where their students live.” (2015). Online school is a detriment to social development because students are completely unable to work with other students to acquire learningknowledge of how to work with others. Traditional education (as in physical classrooms) is better for people who need face-to-face interaction and communication. When someone is deprived of these interactions with their instructors, they tend not to do as well with the work they are assigned. (Kendall Bird. Rasmussen College, 2014.) Online education is a very solitary way of learning, it's just the student and the program. Students learn valuable lessons during times when they can interact with others on campus or at school, whether during lunch or group activities or even simply hanging out in each other's dorms or homes after meeting at school. The first years of a young person's life are the most important, and when these people are stuck in front of a computer screen most of the time, how can they acquire the world and social knowledge needed to function in everyday life? day with others? Through technology, students don't have the ability to ask questions at the exact moment they need help, plus they don't even get an answer at the moment they need it, unless someone is lucky enough to stumble across a lesson online having real time discussions or something. It's all based on response time and the availability of the online instructor to check their email. There is also the concern of distraction while on the computer. Reading at Risk (2008) states that literature competes with a great deal of electronic media; and as technology becomes more and more prevalent in the average person's life, reading takes on a role of danger. A table shown in CQ Researcher's online learning article states that teachers who taught both traditional instruction and online instruction had the traditional learning end result excelling in achieving five of the ten educational goals brought to the table. attention from the National Education Association. The five educational objectives listed were: address different student learning styles in 41% (versus 33% online), strengthen group problem-solving skills in 42% (versus 27% online), develop student interactivity students in 47% (versus 27% online). online at 27%), improving verbal skills at 45% (vs. online at 24%), and providing better oral presentations at 48% (vs. online at 18%), (CQ Researcher Online Learning, 1999). Research by The New York Times has shown time and time again that community college students who enroll in online courses are more likely to drop out or fail than those in traditional courses, meaning they spend their hard-earned money to not get absolutely nothing in return. (The New York Times Company, 2015). In 2011, 51,000 Washington State Community College students who took online classes were studied, and those students who took online courses were more likely to drop out or even fail them than students who took physical classes. (NeaToday, 2015). The cost of a laptop or computer these days is crazy, and that doesn't even include the price of the programs needed to take the online course. With the ownership of a laptop it is necessary to also own a Wi-Fi router; which also costs money. In 2014, the average laptop costs just $653.00 and wireless routers mostly cost between $40.00 and $80.00. What college student (or any kind of student) has enough money saved up for that kind of shopping spree? On average, teenage males earn approximately $177.00 per week at work, while females earn approximately $170.00. (Hearst Newspapers, 2015).Teenagers, just like everyone else, have bills and important things to pay, and it would take three to four entire paychecks to buy just the laptop itself; not even the wireless router or any other accessories the laptop might need like a mouse, a case or insurance coverage. Even gaining access and being accepted into certain programs isn't the easiest thing to do; some courses require certain income or age; like this: Individuals who "attend" The Apollo Group Inc. (an online education system operated by the University of Phoenix, Arizona with approximately 30,000 students enrolled compared to the 105,000 enrolled at the actual school) must be at least 23 years of age and busy. This Apollo system is strictly for educational purposes and any student who wants social, cultural and perhaps even athletic development will not have the slightest chance of getting it during the online program. (Researcher Online Learning CQ, 1999). In the states of Florida, Michigan, Indiana, New Mexico and Alabama, all ninth grade students must take at least one online course before graduating. In Idaho in 2013, however, Tom Luna (state superintendent) wanted to take things to a new level and proposed forcing students to take at least eight online courses, which would essentially equate to a full year of education. The state board ended up settling for just taking two courses online; because they knew eight online classes would make children's education suffer. (NeaToday, 2015). When given the information that most three credit hour online courses cost between $700.00 and $900.00, this is comparable to the rates at most traditional mid-level schools. A full degree from an online academy would cost approximately $7,500.00 per semester, so approximately $30,000.00 for two years or four semesters. (“The Cost of Online College Courses: Closer to Traditional Tuition Than Many Expect.” Success Degrees, 2014). Cheating in the world of tests and homework has been around practically as long as tests, quizzes, exams, and homework were created. Evidence submitted by Digital Commons says that evidence of cheating occurs four times more often in online student work than in traditionally educated student work. Achievements (test results, any kind of work results obtained) in traditional classes have a higher percentage than in online classes. (Digital Commons, 2013). On the other hand, online school creates flexibility in schedules, and social skills don't just come from interacting with people at school. Some programs offer 24/7 online support for things students get stuck on during the program. Almost everyone now has a computer, if a student doesn't have one they can usually find another through someone else or go to a local library. There is also the situation of those who cannot physically attend school; they may have no choice whether to take an online program and it may work better for them that way. Some people also believe that although laptops and programs are expensive, it would still be the more financially sound choice to choose online learning rather than enrolling in a brick-and-mortar college or institution for their education. (John Cassidy. How Much Is College Worth? The New Yorker, 2015). By comparison, the hundreds of dollars spent on semester-long tuition at a traditional school will always be more than on an online class and a laptop combined. Digital Commons points out that online students tend to be older (on average 23.5 years older than school students?