So, I'm taking an online statistics course (my university only offers stats online) and the professor really.... doesn't teach it? There's a discussion board where he'll answer questions and stuff, but it's all just reading the text and doing the online practice problems, quizzes, homework, and exams. I was kind of under the impression that all online courses involved the professor actually teaching us. He does have an office on campus so theoretically I could go talk to him in person, but anxiety and stuff makes that feel almost impossible. I could do that if I had to, I guess, but I'd really rather not. I'm not doing as well in the course as I could be because I really can't learn this sort of thing from the book without it being explained by an actual person. It's 5 credits, the online access was $90, and the professor just.... isn't actually teaching it. I feel like this shouldn't be happening, but maybe I'm wrong and this isn't particularly bad or unusual? I don't know. So.... opinions on if it's a thing I should try to contact someone about (or, well, "complain to", but that feels like I'm just demanding or something)? And if so... who?
If there's a tutoring office on campus, I'd say make an appointment with them to try and catch yourself up on where you would be if someone was actually teaching. And you're going to want to talk to your professor first, see if he can supplement the material by doing his actual job and not just slapping the Pearson online shit onto it. Outside of that, you might have to contact the Dean of your particular college if your professor ends up being unwilling to teach you. It sucks, because a lot of online courses get shafted like this. The last time something like this happened to me, it was an on-campus class and we ended up going to the Dean in a group about it, but it's harder to organize (or even tell if everyone else is having the same problem) online.
Like PRelations said, it can be pretty hard to tell if other people are struggling the way you are because it's online, but I would definitely try to talk to the professor about it. For reference, I took two online classes in high school at the college level (because I ran out of classes to take at the high school level, and so my high school paid for me to take online college classes from the local college), one a foreign language and the other a calculus class: both classes involved the professors posting recordings of them giving lectures of the material throughout the week, plus active "office hours" students could video-call them and work through the material, and my calculus professor required each student to schedule a "meeting" every two weeks where we called in and discussed the material and how we felt about it. The calculus professor might have been doing that because the entire class was aimed at high school students who had passed the highest level of math taught at their school, so all of her students were all in high school; I was, however, the only high school student in my French class. So what you're describing really doesn't sound like your professor is teaching the class to me.
To bring a different perspective, the online courses I have done (for uni credit) have all been specifically described as, essentially, online individual study - two semesters of conversational German, and two semesters of introduction to world religions. We had open access to our tutor/professor, and discussion forums where we could communicate with other students, but they weren't required - except to submit assignments for grading. (I also had to phone my tutor to do the oral exam. Students could phone their tutor during office hours, or to do the oral assignments, but I preferred to record and submit mine.) In my world religions course (a first-year undergrad course), I could go talk to the professor during office hours or email him, but all I needed was the course material (provided in the online dashboard) and textbooks. On the other hand, I know that courses I have looked at, but not taken, have been described as courses more like what @idiomie is saying - video lectures, etc. I have not personally taken a class like this, but they certainly exist. (This would drive me bonkers. This is why I have not taken courses like this.) I guess what I am saying is that this could absolutely be the way the course is designed - or it could not be, and your prof may well be giving it short shrift because it's online. It would be worth reading the syllabus and seeing if there is anything about delivery method (i.e. how the prof intends to be teaching the class). Also, it's absolutely worth knowing that other people definitely have this problem with online courses, regardless of how they're taught. A good friend of mine from high school did some online courses in her undergrad, and had a hell of a time with it. I had a rough-ish time with mine, but that was because of procrastination, not because I didn't grasp the material. So: you are not alone. Sometimes this style of distance education really doesn't work for you, and that's nothing to be ashamed of! Do you have recourse to student services for one-on-one tutoring? I know both universities I have attended have offered tutors in specific subjects, it may be worth looking into. (On a totally different note, where are you taking courses that they only cost you $90?? All my online courses have been at least $400...)
