Online classes vary as much as traditional classes. There are self-paced classes that ask students to turn in work and an exam at the end of several months. There are structured online courses that hold students to strict bi-weekly deadlines. And, there are classes for everything in between.

Consider this entry from 44-year-old eLearner blogger Steve. After enrolling in two self-paced online classes, Steve procrastinated completing his assignments, until he found himself short on time:

"While these two LSU offerings are self-paced programs, there is still a limited time to complete each class. That time ends in just over a month. Between tuition and books, I've invested about $600 in these two classes, I believe, and if I don't pass them with at least a "C" for a final grade, I won't get reimbursed for the tuition by my employer. Of course that's as it should be, no employer should pay for underperforming in a college class...

Of course I have absolutely no one to blame for this particular condition except myself. I know that college is about learning, and in this case I think I've learned a very valuable lesson: don't enroll in wide open, self-paced, free form classes any more. Instead, make sure I had better make sure that I'm in a structured, deadline-driven program."

Clearly, not every student can be successful in every class. When selecting online classes, it's essential that virtual learners choose programs that meet their personal learning styles. Different strokes for different folks.