College Courses Recorded Online

[noparlpf]

So, I'm looking for some advice, I guess. I always strongly suggest going to every class, but...what if attendance is purely optional, and the entire lecture is recorded to be viewed online at one's leisure? My P-Chem course is recorded, and the prof. never asks questions of us or anything in lecture, so the only reason to go would be to hand in homework on Monday. Also, it's at 9 AM and it's a half-hour ride there.

Edit: Posting a new thread because I don't want to derail the other thread about college. If mods think it's close enough to the same topic, move this post there, I guess.

[Haruki-kun]

I don't really like "attendance optional". I'm paying for the course, I may as well actually go to it. Plus, if you ever have any problems with your homework you can talk to the teacher there.

Besides, "attendance optional" usually means "I will know which of you actually care about my class".

[Don Julio Anejo]

Eh, a lot of it depends on the student, the course and the prof. Some classes I've been to maybe all of 1-2 lectures (and some not even that), only went to midterm/final and still got an B+/A (first year chem, for example). But in classes like chem/physics usually the only thing profs teach you is how to solve a specific set of problems (i.e. stoichiometry, equilibrium, acid/base dissociation, etc) and a lecture doesn't add much new information. Textbook and Internet can teach you how to do the same problems much faster.

I've also had a prof (for 3 different courses) who makes very detailed powerpoint notes, and in lecture he straight up went over what he already wrote. Needless to say, I liked his classes because I didn't have to go to class (in case you're wondering, B+/A/B+.. last one cause it was a lecture/lab course and my lab partner couldn't write worth anything).

Then there are some other classes and some professors (like my neuroendocrinology class) where even if you miss one lecture, while you won't completely fall behind, you'll miss out on a lot of things beyond basic course curriculum, simply because the prof went above and beyond course contents (helped that he's one of the top people in the field). Same with my forensic psych class I took for fun (prof was one of three people who literally wrote virtually every single book on psychopathy).

So in summary, if the lecture doesn't offer much above learning on your own, or you'll actually sit and watch the lectures, I don't see any point in going.

Edit: but then, I see college as a way to get a degree and learn things I would not be able to on my own. 80% of what you learn in college you can do just as well by yourself. You go for the other 20%. Because unless you have a fully equipped biochem lab, a flame AES machine, an IR/NMR imager, a PCR machine and access to lots of specialized cultures, you aren't going to do that in your house.