One of the hardest things about on-line classes for me was to decide and STICK TO the fact that it doesn't matter what the other students are doing, or how they're doing it. I'm currently taking an on-line program through Allied Health Institute for EKG tech, and I'm embarrassed by the quality of some of the work that other students are doing. Poor grammar, poor spelling, total lack of comprehension of the material. These are all things that I see from some of my classmates. What you have to do, in my experience, is decide that you are not responsible for their work, nor does their work impact you. Just do the best that YOU can do, and remember to use YOUR spellcheck. As others have said, there is a lot to be responsible for on your own, in online classes. You get the syllabus, you know what reading is due when, and such. You and you alone are responsible for remembering it, and for remembering to make your daily/weekly posts, written assignments, and quizzes. The instructor doesn't coddle us in any way in my classes. It's a LOT different than the traditional "sit in class and listen to lecture" classes, since the learning is really self-directed. That being said, not everyone is cut out for online classes. Nor is everyone best benefited by the traditional learning environment.