With around 4,000 students in Wayzata High School, there are various courses for everyone. However, it’s not just that. The school also offers multiple different formats of classes, such as regular in-person classes, online classes, and hybrid classes.
Opinions on which class is best vary from student to student. Most students are used to having all their classes in person. However, there are positive things about taking an online or hybrid class that help some students thrive.
Online Classes
Online classes are just as they seem: a class fully self-paced and online. Senior Lauren Chambs has taken 2 online classes and enjoyed the independence, saying, “It’s nice how you can kind of work with your own schedule. If you need to prioritize something else for one day, you can prioritize that and focus on the class work another day.” However, focus and quality of work depend on the student.
Due to the individual nature of the class, students can sometimes struggle. Chambs said, “If you’re not self-motivated, it’s very hard to get through an online class.” In general, productivity depends on the class in any format- asynchronous or in person.
For example, Chambs took German 3 online after Wayzata got rid of the class, but said she would have preferred being in person for this particular class. This is because it can be very helpful to work with peers to understand the language better. In an online language class, the conversational aspect of learning languages is missing.
Hybrid Classes
Senior Maddie Gullickson took AP Statistics as a hybrid class and also enjoyed the independence and flexibility of the class. She said, “I love how I can work on my own schedule and be flexible with my work.”
The difference between a hybrid class and an online class is that you still come into school some days for a hybrid class. Being able to do work in person as well helps make sure students are staying on track. Gullickson said that she thinks it’s beneficial to be able to check in with her teacher on her in-person days, which is definitely a plus to taking a hybrid class.
Gullickson said that the AP Stats course is usually online 3 days a week and in person for 2 days. However, the class wasn’t understanding the information well enough, so they switched to 5 days in person. The exception is that if they are succeeding in the class, they have the option to go online once a week.
The fact that the class needed more in-person days shows the range of focus and efficiency of students when they are in any kind of class. However, it also shows the flexibility of the class, because a normal class wouldn’t be able to adapt to students’ needs when it comes to whether or not they are physically in class.
In-Person Classes
Finally, in person classes are the most common. This is the normal format of class, and often involves lots of collaboration and discussion. These are two important elements that students say they miss when not being in person for classes.
However, while you gain the social aspect, you lose some of the independence from an online class. Speaking for myself, I think I would enjoy the self-paced nature of asynchronous classes, but I agree that in certain classes, socialization is needed.
Also, I think most people would say that in a class with friends, it can be easy to get distracted from your work. In another format of class where you are at your own pace, you can be more engaged without peer distractions.
In-person classes also seem to have more homework. Since online classes don’t have a daily schedule, your homework is what you make it. In a regular class, you may have assigned homework each night. For example, students usually take around 25 minutes to an hour on math homework each night, whereas an online class might have no homework if all assignments are completed.
Most homework usually comes from in-person AP classes, such as AP European and World History. When I asked how much homework is assigned, Sophomore Kate Nuthals, who is in the class now, said, “It depends, but I’d say it’s like 12 pages, which is about 2 hours each night.”
However, on the nights before tests, long periods of time studying are needed. Nuthals said, “I started studying around 4, then studied until like 10 or 11 [PM], then I woke up this morning and studied for an hour.” Obviously, this is an AP class, so the normal in-person class does not have this much homework. Despite this, it is a good way to notice the difference in the amount of work assigned after school for other class formats.
Final Comparison
This variety of classes makes it so that students can find optimal ways to learn. The different formats all have their own pros and cons. However, based on the interviews in this article, it seems that hybrid classes are a good fit, being that they are a happy medium between being fully online or in person.
Others could argue that in person is the easiest class to have success in, since you have a teacher present to ask questions and fellow students to work with. After discussing with a handful of students, I think that it is important to recognize your strengths and weaknesses in school, because that is one of the greatest factors in having a successful experience, no matter what class you take.
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