01.03 Online vs Brick-and-Mortar

Hey guys, are you trying to decide between an online program or a brick and mortar program? Great. Let's talk about them. This presentation is going to break down the pros and the cons so that you can figure out which one is a better option for you. So online courses and brick and mortar, what exactly does that mean? Well, most of y'all have probably taken some type of online course. Usually, it is 100% online. You do your assignments, you do your exams, everything is online. You do not have to go to campus for anything. There are some online courses though that you do have to go to the testing center to take your exams there. But for the most part they are becoming more designed to be completely online programs. So you do everything online, brick and mortar. What this means is it's a face to face courses.

It's just the traditional method of instruction where you have your professor and they are lecturing in front of the class with the students right there. A lot of nursing programs are brick and mortar programs just because they require face to face. And you also have clinical courses that you must physically attend to. There are a few online nursing programs that everything is online except for clinicals and you must be present for that. So let's talk about the positives and the negatives of each course. Everything has pros and cons. So as far as online programs go, let's talk about the pros. So number one there is more flexibility and they typically are self-paced and it's more flexible, meaning you don't have to go to class Monday, Wednesday, Friday you can do everything from home. If you would like to get online at one o'clock in the morning, great. You can do that. If you want to work ahead and not wait for the class like you would in a traditional class you can, it is self-paced so you can work ahead or you can just take your time as long as your assignments are submitted on time. Usually, you still have due dates but it is very flexible and this is one big pro for a lot of people that you can work ahead. Now there are more options for different colleges. For example, I attend the University of Texas at Arlington, one of the girls in my class is from California. So that's the benefit and a big positive thing is that you can go to any college you want in the nation. If it's online and they don't require face to face program attendance, then you can go wherever you want and apply there.

Another one is affordability. Usually, most online programs are a little cheaper. Believe it or not actually just found out that UT Arlington offers a discounted rate for my online classes. It doesn't feel like it. So affordability, you also have to think about you're not spending gas money, lunch, money, because you can do everything from home. And one of the big pros is that you can maintain a full-time job. You don't have to go to school on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, like some traditional classes. You can go to work all day long, come home and do your schoolwork, which is a big pro for a lot of people. Now most, online programs are usually designed for bridge programs. So this makes it easier for those RNs that are trying to go back and get their BSN cause you can still work and you can go to school at your own pace.

So this is a big, big pro for a lot of people. Now a lot of master's programs are also online and you just go to school for clinicals. So this is very beneficial. So of course everything has some cons. So one of the cons with an online program is you have less interaction with your professor and your peers. You can communicate with them they're usually accessible through email, which is good, but it's just not that face to face interaction. A lot of the times the material can feel like it is self-taught. Usually they tell you, okay today read chapters 22 through 25 so you got to go read these chapters and try to comprehend the material. If you don't understand it, you can find online resources that like NRSNG to help you break it down. So a lot of the times it can feel like it is self-taught.

One con is that it's easier to put off school. You can come home, you're tired, you don't want to deal with it today. So you'll just say, Oh, I'll just do it tomorrow. So you have to have a lot of self-discipline in order to be able to pull this off so you don't neglect school. And one other con is that there is less hands-on if you go to school in a traditional nursing program or any type of program you are face to face with your teachers. So you have more skills that you can do in your labs if you're lacking in any skills, you can go and you can perfect those. So you have less hands-on with online programs. Now let's talk about pros for the brick and mortar programs. And again, remember this is just the traditional face to face programs.

So usually a big pro is that you have direct and formal lecture from the professor. So you go to school, you sit there and you get instructed to, you get taught the material, for the most part, you have peer support and interaction. This may be a con for some, but trust me, you want this peer support. You want to be with people that know your pain, they know what you are going through and you share this. So this can be a very much a positive thing. Again, you have direct access to your professor. If you didn't understand a particular subject you can go and get clarification. It is more structured. So for those of yall that tend to procrastinate and put things off, this is more structured. You'll go to class, you have an assignment due and you need to have it completed.

So you have that there. And again it more hands-on with lab and clinical. If you are lacking on here's an arm, here's a hand and you are lacking on IVs and you need to refresh yourself on how to insert it. Well your instructor can take you to the lab and you guys can do it. So you do have that more hands-on options when you're doing face to face or brick and mortar programs. Now, of course, there are cons to that. You have specific lecture time and dates. So if you have work and you have a class that's Monday, Wednesday, Fridays from 12 to two and that's very inconvenient. So sometimes it is a con because you either have kids you have to work, so you can't just always make it every Monday, Wednesday, Friday you have less flexibility.Another con is sticking with the class pace. If they're covering a particular subject on Monday and another one on Wednesday and another one on Friday and you have assignments due, well it is a little harder to work ahead. So you can't do that and it's harder to maintain a full-time job because your schooling becomes your full-time job. That becomes your priority because usually they have required attendance and you have to be there.So to recap online, it's for the most part 100% online programs. You do it online, your exams, your assignments, everything. Consider the pros and cons. If the pros outweigh the cons, great. Then this is definitely for you, brick and mortar, face to face. If you like that interaction and you like more of the pros and the pros outweigh the cons with this, then that's even better. You pick that. Do remember though, if you do an online course and you need the extra resources, that's what we are here for.

So make sure that you pick what suits your life so that you are successful along the way. So I hope that this little presentation has clarified some questions that you have regarding online and brick and mortar programs. And I hope that it helps you make the decision that best suits your lifestyle and make sure that you guys go out and be your best selves today. And as always, happy nursing.