Class. The word immediately brings to mind an image of sitting at a desk, working on an assignment or listening to a lecture.

Some people, however, are beginning to picture sitting in front of a computer screen and filling out assignments in Microsoft Word.

Many students are unaware that the district provides online courses through eAcademy.

Currently, two online classes are offered, Art History and History of Film.

“There are eight courses offered right now in the district, but we have 20 that are available to be used,” Randy Warner, eAcademy facilitator, said.

Many of these classes are also available over the summer.

About 150 students are enrolled in eAcademy per semester and 200 students enrolled in the summer.

Like the rest of technology, there are benefits and detriments to online classes.

“I really like the flexibility of teaching with eAcademy. I only need a computer and Internet access,” Dana Davis, History of Film teacher, said.

It may be flexible and help teach independence and computer skills, but online learning lacks an asset: teacher interaction.

“I really like eLearning because I can work at my own pace,” Alexis Abadayan, junior, said.

The biggest detriment about eAcademy is the lack of teacher-student interaction. For instance, a teacher is able to add mood to class or keep students on task.

Overall, there is not much academic difference between eLearning and traditional learning, according to Warner.

“Student achievement is about equal,” Warner said.

“I don’t like how big our assignments are,” Elijah Taylor, freshman, said.

Presently the good outweighs the bad in online learning. However, there is no indication that eLearning will take over traditional learning.

“I don’t think that eLearning will ever completely take over traditional learning,” Davis said.

eLearning may be a good resource for schools, but teachers will continue to play a role in students’ lives for now.