The droning sound of a teacher going over a subject people know everything about is typically how the school day drags on. But for some students all they hear is their fingers clicking across the keyboard.

Online classes are chosen in winter when registering for the following year’s classes. This is a relatively new way of learning at Stillwater Area High School. Teachers and parents have started to wonder if this is an effective way for students to learn and if it is more successful than the traditional classroom setting.

The most common online courses taken at SAHS are health and gym because students who want to take a music and a language throughout high school do not have time to fit it into their schedule. In most school districts in Minnesota gym is not a graduation requirement, but in Stillwater it is.

Senior Greta Snow said, “The biggest challenge is keeping yourself on task and on track. Even though I had until the end of my senior year to finish the classes, getting them done in a timely fashion was really important.”

Like Snow many students struggle to stay on top of assignments that have a due date set so far in the future.

Sophomore Mikayla Hildebrandt said, “You need to be dedicated and responsible. You can’t slack off and expect perfect results. I keep a list at home of assignments that I need to complete.”

Other problems include technological mishap and finding help because an online student is in a class of one without an adult helping.

Kristine Vick a media center specialist said, “I think they use their time very well. One of the difficulties for student is if there is a hiccup in the internet. Most students recover quickly and are back up and running shortly.”

As for the problem of finding help for a class she has decided to opt out of Snow said, “I’ve found that whenever you need help, there’s always someone to give it. It’s a teacher’s job to help you and even if they aren’t the most approachable person, I’d advise any student to ask them for help anyways. Their job is to make sure you get what you need out of the course.”

The University of Phoenix Arizona has done research on the effectiveness of an online course when comparing it to a traditional classroom setting. What they found out is that it all depends on student preferences but both are equally effective at teaching students the required information.