Effectiveness of Online Education in Comparison to Traditional Classroom Teaching.

Would you choose to study online or in a classroom?

A greater proportion, about 96% of the online students find the online courses more effective to their learning as compared to the face-to-face courses or their counterparts.(Neuhauser, 2002).In this fast-growing world of technology, there are higher possibilities of traditional courses being replaced by online courses, especially under certain circumstances, for instance in an attempt to reduce learning cost in cases of a pandemic such as covid-19, utilizing time by working and studying simultaneously among many other circumstances .Traditional face-to-face learning is no doubt a great way of learning both in early times as well as in recent and present days, it however does not mean that online education is less useful.

Across cultures, individuals, institutions especially institutions of higher learning online education have been considered effective in comparison to traditional classroom learning for a number of reasons such as quick and easy availability of expertise and personnel in various disciplines of demand, a wide variety of courses, improved global social cohesion and through joining students together, flexibility of learning and exposure to academic and educational environment. (Butnaru, G.I, 2021). On the other hand, traditional classroom learning has its own advantages. This include but not limited to in-person practical sessions, learners are highly motivated and hence competitiveness is encouraged, students and teachers have the opportunity to learn more about each other that improves character and personality of the students.

There are very many qualified individuals from private and government sectors available online as it is portrayed by their profiles under the online tutors and teachers’ titles who provide services to those who seek them. This could be at a fee or as volunteers. Such provide access and availability of online expertise in disciplines such as engineering, mathematics, computer science, philosophy literature among many other disciplines. A study carried out in Adekunle Ajasin University, Aungba Akoko-Ondo State, Nigeria concluded that online learning tools are available in Adekunle Ajasin University and that both the teachers and students have required basic it skills to implement online instruction. This is a reflection or a representation of a larger proportion of persons and institutions and organizations who have provided easier access and availability of personnel and expertise online. (Abiola A.A, 2015).

Online course varieties contribute to the effectiveness of online education. According to Fordham University there are different types of online learning. These include asynchronous online courses, synchronous online course and hybrid courses which incorporates both online learning and in-person learning. (Fordham University, 2022). From the different types of online learning there exists a variety of courses that can be offered depending on the demand, nature of the course, cost, relevance among other factors. As far as traditional learning can provide different courses as well, it may not be able to include as much as what the online education can do. For instance, face-to-face learning cannot be a synchronous unlike online learning which can be bought synchronous and asynchronous.

Learning and/ or teaching online reduces the cost of education. Students can easily earn quality education not only from their home countries but also from any other country which offers high-quality education. Face-to-face learning as in the traditional setup can be comparatively costly. In the cases where physical materials and resources have to be purchased such as textbooks, building of classroom and as well as the cost of transport services for both learners and tutors or teachers the cost is extremely high. This may deny opportunities to learners or students who wish to pursue higher education from institutions that are expensive.

Despite most students having considerations for online learning, there actually those who acknowledge the advantages that are associated with traditional face-to-face learning. For example, in this learning set-up students are able to conveniently engage in practical or laboratory sessions as compared to their counterparts in the online education system. This does not however mean that it is impossible to have practical sessions conducted online, it simply means that the ease at which this can be done physically in traditional classroom learning and teaching cannot be equal to the online experience. While learning in person or on-campus, students interact more, their learning experience is not just limited to the classroom, students have an opportunity to engage in other activities such as games and sports. Furthermore, students’ discipline and punctuality tend to improve. (University of Potomac, 2022).

Consider those who are working full-time jobs and wish to further their studies. What will be their best way to achieve that? Can they attend physical in-person lectures and be working at the same time? It will definitely be a great challenge to juggle between work and studies. Such cases are better solved by opting for online education where an individual can learn or take up courses at anytime and anywhere as long as it is convenient to them.

Secondly, let’s think of the cost., be it for the education provider or the learner, cost is a key factor in determining what type of learning one goes for. A course or a program that cost approximately twelve thousand Great Britain pounds (£12,000) is likely to cost 50% less when such course is delivered online. This can help an individual to afford quality higher education.

A crisis, pandemic or war may cause a great disruption and interference of traditional classroom. In such cases, as the covid-19 pandemic, online education becomes the most convenient and preferred mode of learning. Based on study and statistics of OECD (2020), indicated that the number of adults who claimed to not being able to participate in training as a result of their commitments to work was about 28% of the adults. Additionally, those who did not participate due to lack of time resulting from the responsibilities of their families constituted 15 % of the adults. OECD added that those who did not participate because of constraints to their financial stretch comprised of 16%. Lastly Statistics from the study indicated that 12% of the adults did not participate in the training possibly because the training ‘s schedule was inconvenient with regard to time and place. (OECD, 2020).

The above among others are context and circumstances under which online education can replace in-person learning in any institution.

Traditional face-to-face learning and online learning or education are both good approaches to education. Each has its merits and demerits. While traditional education provides great physical interactions, character and personality development among students, online learning on the other hand is cost-effective, flexible and the learning resources and tools are readily available. The two learning options have their disadvantages. Online students experience internet and browsing technicalities among many other challenges. Traditional learning for the other side has cost factors standing out as major demerits.

It is therefore important to highlight that based on both the pros and cons of online education as well as traditional classroom education, different people may have different choice on which of the two is the most preferred. Online learning education in most contexts as highlighted earlier is a better option for present and future education.

References:

Akingbemisilu Abiola Afolabi, (2015). Availability of Online Learning Tools and the Readiness of Teachers and Students towards it in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 176,2015,Pages 610-615,ISSN 18770428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.517.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815005546)

Butnaru, G. I., Niță, V., Anichiti, A., & Brînză, G. (2021). The Effectiveness of Online Education during Covid- 19 Pandemic—A Comparative Analysis between the Perceptions of Academic Students and High School Students from Romania. Sustainability, 13(9), 5311. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095311

Fordham University (2022). Types of Online Learning. Retrieved from https://www.fordham.edu/info/24884/online_learning/7897/types_of_online_learning

Neuhauser C., (2002). Learning Style and Effectiveness of Online and face-to-face Instruction. American Journal of Distance Education, 16(2), 99-113, 2002.

OECD (2020). The Potential of Online Learning for Adults: Early lessons from the cocid-19 crisis. OECD Policy Response to Coronavirus (Covid-19).

University of Potomac (Jan, 2022). Top Six Advantages of Traditional Education. Education Advice. Retrieved from https://potomac.edu/top-advantages-of-traditional-education/