Taking a foreign language can be a difficult, yet essential part of one’s high school experience. Discarding the well-known ways of the English language for one completely unfamiliar can be a difficult task to learn, but the difficulty levels seem to be even further perpetuated when this task is asked to be performed online.

Taking a foreign language in an online setting poses many more challenges than in the typical in class. For one, students do not get the chance to actively participate in conversation with someone fluent in the language, such as their teacher. Also, students with questions that may need further explained reasoning beyond what is taught in the lesson, or explained in different context, have to ask their question through email or phone call which can take long a period of time to get a response. The process proves to be much more difficult than having the ability to just simply ask a teacher in class.

Also, as for any online class, technology is not always the most reliable resource. When Internet is down at school, students are usually unable to complete work, and if the student has no Internet access at home the process to get work done proves to be even harder. In another aspect, technology has many different software and programs that may not be compatible in teacher-to-student communication, creating even more difficulty.

Another problem with taking an online foreign language class, with Access Distance Learning in particular, is that in many cases, tests cannot be reviewed for mistakes, after the test is graded. A score is received, but there is usually no detailed explanation for the questions missed, nor a copy of the test to review over again. Once it is taken, it is gone.

Taking a foreign language class online can be a great alternative to taking one in the classroom given the correct tools and software, but it also comes with its fair share of problems.