By Garrick Hoffman

Money, religion, greed, desire, Fox News – none of those are the root of evil. If you want the answer to what the root of all evil really is, look to online work. Hear me well!

In 2012, I took a class set up conventionally (classroom, professor, peers) paired with online homework. Things in the class were going swimmingly: every quiz and test I took came back to me with an “A” on it. I was an active and eager participant in class. I clearly demonstrated my understanding. Once, I even cracked a joke that got both my peers (who understood the joke) as well as my professor laughing. I knew I scored brownie points that day. I left the class patting myself on the back.By the end of the semester, I had a C+ in that class. I was scratching my head, and certainly wasn’t jumping with glee about it, especially because I’m a perfectionist about my grades. I discovered later that the homework constitutes as much of a percentage as quizzes and tests. A few (note: not many, but a few; maybe even a couple) of those homework assignments I submitted late. The professor refused to accept any late assignments, as mentioned in the syllabus.

Although I will quickly hold myself accountable for the results, to this day I can’t help but feel this fervent antipathy toward the reasoning behind my less-than-desirable grade. My professor was staying true to the syllabus. But submitting an assignment at, say, 12:00 A.M. or minutes after, rather than the due date of 11:59 P.M., and having that be considered late and thus unaccepted, doesn’t sit with me too well.

Here’s one side of the argument:  “Garrick, it’s your fault.

You should have acknowledged that homework counts as much as tests and quizzes. You should have been on top of things and gotten in your homework on time. You shouldn’t have procrastinated so much. You should have paid more regard to the class syllabus and completed your work according to it.”

Here’s mine:

“Online work is for Hitler enthusiasts.”

I’m just kidding.

But seriously. This class and another are the only two classes I’ve received less than an “A” in.

(“Do you hear that? It sounds like a horn. Garrick must be tooting his.”)

The other class was math, which was also a C+. I’m not a math person, and I deserved that C+. It was justified. For this class in question, however, it doesn’t feel that way. Although I’m aware that my argument is (likely?) null and void, I still feel about the whole situation. My suboptimal grade feels severely unjustified, especially when accounting for my excellent test/quiz grades, active participation, and demonstration of understanding. It also feels severely unjustified because, due to homework being online rather than submitted in person, any homework that I obviously did and chose to submit after 11:59 P.M. (although I stayed on top of things for most of the semester) was dismissed altogether, as if I hadn’t done it at all. I think that if it was homework submitted in person I probably could have dodged that late-assignment-dismissal bullet. Perhaps because I feel more inspired to do more paper-based tangible homework and handing it in to the professor. You know, like the traditional way. (I do admire the “green” element to online work, however.)

I suppose part of the reason I’m sharing my curmudgeonly anecdote here is that I’m imploring to professors to perhaps minimize some of their syllabus pedantry. I understand that the syllabus is essentially the Constitution of a class and that we as students should adhere to it. But, in the case of my C+ that I received in the class in question, it feels like exactly what I just mentioned: pedantry.

And now I’m taking another class set up the same way: classroom work two days a week with online homework, tests, and quizzes. For most of this semester already I’ve felt uneasy about it. I feel sort of distanced from the class perhaps, like I’m behind. Worse, the website designed for the class has had a multitude of malfunctions over the semester, consequently leading to an epidemic of headaches for seemingly everyone. And, furthermore, the online work is entirely ineffective for me. I know it’s up to the student to put forth the effort to actively learn the material for their class, but I can’t help but bring myself to take the easiest possible route in completing the tests online. I feel like I’m hardly learning anything at all, which is really too bad because the subject matter to me is really quite interesting and always has been. And I don’t want to take my education for granted, yet in this online work-based class, I sort of find myself doing that, at least when it comes to the online work.

I guess online work doesn’t inspire me to go above and beyond, or to take the right measures in succeeding in the class. I’m still doing well in this current class, don’t get me wrong, but like I said: I don’t feel inspired to go above and beyond in it. Maybe others feel differently. I’m sure there are some out there who can manage – perhaps even better – with online work.

I can’t even fathom taking an entirely online-based class, with no professor or peers present. How can anyone? I understand the convenience factor and that some seek to tackle the class because it’s mandatory, to just get it out of the way. I almost took an online class and I’m so, so glad I didn’t go through with it. I relish the in-class stimulation: hearing others speak, responding accordingly when it’s warranted, listening to the professor speak, responding accordingly to that (and receiving recognition and reward when it’s earned!), asking questions and asking questions and asking questions, making friends, laughing or shaking my head, and just being there and participating and feeling involved. And the list goes on.

I’ve made an oath to myself to never take a wholly online class if I can help it. I understand it’s 2014 and that’s the reality of what things are, but hopefully not what they’ll become, especially for people like me.

I wonder if anyone else out there feels the same way?