Comparison Between Online Education And Traditional Educatio
Comparison Between Online Education And Traditional Educ
Comparison between Online Education and Traditional Education English Composition 1 Unit III Essay Maxaline Grimsley #/14/2016 Comparison between Online Education and Traditional Education Introduction The recent advancements in technology and application of internet software in education have led to a new form of education that is online-based. Online education is different from the traditional face-to-face learning in that in the online education; students access educational resources and materials virtually. Traditional on-campus classroom learning and online education seem to be explicitly different. However, there exist various similarities between the two forms of education.
This comparative essay analyzes the differences and similarities between the two forms of education systems. Although online education and face-to-face classroom based education systems are different in many aspects, various relevant similarities that exist should not be overlooked. Similarities between Online Education and Traditional Education Online education seems to offer learners some form of freedom that may be misconstrued as a factor that reduces the amount of work that the learners should put in place to achieve objectives. However, both face-to-face education and online education demand considerable planning and hard work from both the teacher and the students. Participation in both types of education is necessary and effective to help the students acquire the skills and knowledge.
The communication between the teachers and the students is also very important in both types of education creating a give and feedback communication channel in both types of education. The interaction created by the virtual education as well as in the classroom-based learning is one of the most critical aspects of the education. In this context, online education can be as entertaining and involving as the face-to-face education. The continuous progression of technological application in online education enables tutors and students to share videos, songs, movies, and other discussions that make the virtual exchange of information as entertaining as the face-to-face interaction (Brosche, 2010). In both the virtual and physical learning environments, students can achieve satisfactory results of learning.
Students undertaking education online can be able to interact with peers through the online social and discussion boards. Many exchanges are taking place between students enabling them to form long-lasting relationships just like in face-to-face education. Assessment of the progress of the students undertaking education in both environments is similar through use of assignments, tests, and examinations. The advancement in technology has enabled the teachers instructing students virtually to be able to administer examinations, which are timed as well as homework with longer deadlines. In this context, the education system has not been affected much by the online education system because the assessment and instructional resources are accessible online (Brosche, 2010).
Differences between Online Education and Traditional Education Traditional education is administered in a more synchronous way rather while online education includes more asynchronous activities. Synchronous activities are the activities that take place in a planned and scheduled way while asynchronous activities are flexible. Additionally, while online education require more self-direction and discipline while classroom-based education is controlled by the schools and instructors. Achievement of the educational knowledge and skills in online learning requires more reading and practice while the achievement in face-to-face education is based on the collaboration of instructors and colleagues’ discussions.
In online education, the feedback from tutors can be slower since they rely on technological applications that are not interactive such as texts and discussion boards. On the other hand, the verbal discussions in traditional education system make it help in timely response and feedback. It is not easy for students to ignore the instructors in traditional educational system because of the interactive techniques used in the education. On the other hand, online education makes it hard for the instructor to have a sense of instructor control (Ni, 2010). The level of self-reflection in online education is high enabling the students to focus more on areas that they are not good.
In traditional education, on the other hand, may make the students and instructors unable to monitor the areas that are lowly understood because some students may be afraid to highlight issues they are unable to understand because of stigma. Feedback in online education is detailed as an instructor focus on the progress of each student’s work while in traditional system, the feedback is less likely to be detailed and involves general discussion. Lastly, while in online education the focus is generally on written communication skills, face-to-face learning is effective in imparting both verbal and written communication skills to the students (Ni, 2010).
Conclusion The increased focus on online education in the recent past has led to development of research on the system of education.
While there are numerous differences between virtual learning and traditional learning, it is evident that some similarities do exist between the two types of education. Virtual learning is becoming more prevalent in the world and researchers are focusing on the effectiveness of both online and traditional education systems more.
References
- Brosche, T. (2010). Successful Online Learning: Managing the Online Learning Environment Efficiently and Effectively. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Ni, A. (2010). Comparing the Effectiveness of Classroom and Online Learning: Teaching Research Methods. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 19(2), 199–215.