Online and In-Person Learning: Benefits and Drawbacks

Topic: Approach to Learning
Words: 1759 Pages: 6

Introduction

Online learning and traditional learning are two types of education, and both satisfy standards for quality education and training. Learning is one of the main subjects of conversation in families with children and among those who are interested in what is occurring with the educational process today. Currently, there began the pandemic of forcing education to be made distance learning. Educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, adapted to the new reality in their way. Some switched completely to online and had long conversational video lessons, while others expanded the amount of independent work and homework. It was the choice of each system and stage of learning. Thus, it is crucial to establish what kind of training is better remote or traditional.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning

Online learning is a method of distance education using the Internet and a personal computer. Recently in the world, companies, educational institutions, and tutors have been choosing a partial or full implementation of e-learning. This is not just because of the necessity caused by the pandemic. The format of online classes is sometimes the best and certainly more economical option for training employees and students (Landrum et al. 82). Teachers learn to create their own courses, conduct webinars, share their experiences, and make money.

It is significant to emphasize the advantages of online training for the organizer. It is efficient through the use of interactive tools. First of all, it is about presentations, tests, videos, chat, screen sharing, and the ability to view the lesson multiple times (Landrum et al. 82). In addition, online learning makes it possible to monitor the progress of each of the students easily. This is because learning programs often offer convenient tests and statistics. At the same time, it is possible to conduct training from almost any location (Landrum et al. 83). Nobody is late for lectures because, through mobile versions and applications, it is allowed to join the class at the correct time.

In addition, online learning and classes have many disadvantages for educators. This is due to teachers’ concerns related to technical issues. Not every teacher can easily understand all the features of an online learning platform. At first, even providing a lecture using apparently simple programs like Zoom and Skype has proven to be a real challenge and stress for some (Wang et al. 89). This was not surprising considering that most of the time, educators only had to teach in classrooms. These days, this has changed, and the curriculum has to be completely rearranged (Wang et al. 89). Additionally, teachers have been placed in an environment where students feel more accessible than they do. There is no trusted way to explain how to make the transition from offline to online smoothly.

First, every speaker should learn how to use an e-learning platform. Second, one should master the techniques of effective online seminars. Now, a confident presence in front of an audience is not yet a guarantee of a successful online presentation. It is essential for every educator to find methods to hold students’ attention. Otherwise, they might fall asleep behind their monitors (Wang et al. 90). There is also the challenge of making it difficult to monitor and examine students from the other side of the monitor. Indeed, teachers have more work to do during online lessons because every lesson has to be carefully prepared and also reviewed, including technical points. They were considering the technical issues and the risk of losing experienced educators (Wang et al. 90) The choice and setup of equipment and the peculiarities of working with an online learning platform can discourage the older generation of teachers. On the other hand, anyone with an aptitude for teaching and a love of learning can build a career teaching online (Wang et al. 92). Additionally, creating your own e-course for distance learning takes less time than it used to.

It is also critical to highlight the benefits of e-learning for students. Online learning not only allows them to choose the time and place for classes but also their own pace. Accordingly, it is quite easy for learners to contact the instructor via chat, mail, forum, or audio or video communication on the distance learning platform (Noviyanti et al. 27). Moreover, shy people, in general, find it easier to learn in online courses than to attend a stationary class. Additionally, people with disabilities can get an education through online training.

There are also drawbacks to e-learning and classes for students to consider. First, the most challenging thing about this type of class is for children. It is clear to everyone that students have to learn to work as a team, resolve conflicts, and interact with each other in everyday life (Noviyanti et al. 28). In the context of online learning, there are not many situations where students can learn these skills. Meanwhile, students may lack personal contact with the teacher or other students. The shortage of socialization of belonging to a group is the challenge that online learning copes with the worst. It can take longer to understand all of the curriculum material (Noviyanti et al. 28). Some people simply cannot concentrate during online education because they are always tempted to browse a news feed, reply to a message during a lesson, or close the browser tab altogether.

Consequently, it can be argued that online learning and classes are effective learning methods. Nevertheless, the results of research on the effectiveness of online education are not unambiguous because e-learning has both its disadvantages and undoubted benefits. However, with online education, students in courses can learn efficiently, conveniently, and quite inexpensively (Noviyanti et al. 28). Nowadays, online classes are sometimes becoming the only form of learning possible. Therefore, it is essential to adapt and learn new ways of teaching to ensure the continuity and efficiency of the learning process.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of In-Person Learning

Personal learning involves the transfer of knowledge, abilities, and skills from the older generation to a new way of explaining, explaining, illustrating, and other traditional methods. This model has existed for quite a long time; in recent years, most educational institutions have attempted to replace it with a more modern online learning model (Noviyanti et al. 30). On the one hand, traditional learning has demonstrated its effectiveness for many years, but on the other hand, with the introduction of modern technology and changes in the minds of learners, they are gradually withdrawing from their positions. In addition, they have the so-called “slide thinking”, their brain requires a constant change of picture before their eyes; otherwise, the information ceases to be perceived (Noviyanti et al. 30). In the background of these changes, traditional teaching is gradually receding into the ground, ceasing to be relevant.

It is essential to establish the advantages of face-to-face learning; first, it is a type of frontal learning. The teacher has the opportunity to explain the learning material to a sufficiently large number of people at once. Thus, pedagogical resources are saved, and a small number of teachers can teach many children at once (Stone et al. 2). At the same time, the teacher usually attempts to pay attention to each student, identify their level of knowledge and assess them. In addition, it requires a minimum of teacher preparation for the lesson. After making minimal adjustments, the teacher can write the curriculum one year, and the following year will teach the same curriculum to the next class (Stone et al. 2). This saves the educator time and energy and allows more involvement with the children.

The next benefit is the minimum of materials to conduct a traditional lesson. It requires a competent teacher who can convey their knowledge without modern interactive devices, whiteboards, computers, and other gadgets (Stone et al. 1). At most, teachers at school can explain the material with illustrations or demonstrations. In personalized learning, one can also highlight the clear organization of the lesson; accordingly, there is a systematic learning process (Stone et al. 1). The personal challenge lets the children learn how to establish communication and constantly be under the control of the teachers. Accordingly, they can ask the teacher to explain further the material they have problems with.

One of the drawbacks of traditional teaching is that today’s Generation Z has virtually no perception of information without a technical component. It is complicated for them to perceive linear information without bright pictures and moving objects. Basic explanations, clarifications, and illustrations become quickly boring; children stop perceiving such information after about 10 minutes (Hoi et al. 249). It is difficult for the teacher to control the level of knowledge of each student. Despite the efforts of the trainer to pay attention to each learner, it is impossible to control all the children. In addition, all students receive the same information, regardless of their abilities and interests. High-performing, intermediate, and low-achieving students, gifted children, and students with disabilities are all provided with the same form of instruction (Hoi et al. 249). Each student needs a different amount of education and various quality of teaching.

Besides, in the traditional teaching model, there is almost no space for independence, one’s own opinions, and decisions. Each child performs only the assignment that is given by the teacher and only in a way that is considered correct. As a result, the student does not learn to assess their abilities, choose their method of solving, and learns from their mistakes (Lessler et al. 1092). This contributes to low student engagement in creative lessons. It negatively affects the perspective and communication skills, even though students interact with each other between classes.

Conclusion

Thus, face-to-face learning is better only because it forces children to learn, especially those who are not motivated to school. However, if a student is diligent, hard-working, and motivated to learn, the online form of learning is the best option. This is because it allows students to learn additional materials with which they have problems to obtain an opportunity to adjust the rhythm and speed of learning on their own. In traditional teaching, it is quite challenging for the teacher to dedicate the necessary amount of attention to all students in the group and adapt to the pace of each of them. The use of online technology is suitable for organizing an individualized approach. This tool provides the opportunity to gain knowledge without direct contact with a teacher from anywhere in the world. Therefore, online learning is the best form for acquiring knowledge because it provides more opportunities if children are interested in developing.

Works Cited

Hoi, Steven, et al. “Online Learning: A Comprehensive Survey.” Neurocomputing, vol. 459, 2021, pp. 249-289.

Landrum, Brittany, et al. “A Class of One: Students’ Satisfaction With Online Learning.” Journal of Education for Business, vol. 96, no. 2, 2021, pp. 82-88.

Lessler, Justin, et al. “Household COVID-19 Risk and In-Person Schooling.” Science, vol. 372, no. 6546, 2021, pp. 1092-1097.

Noviyanti, Retno, et al. “Comparative Analysis of Online and Offline Lectures during the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Urecol Journal. Part A: Education and Training, vol.1, no.1, 2021, pp. 25-32.

Stone, Julia, et al. “In‐Person Vs Home Schooling During The COVID‐19 Pandemic: Differences in Sleep, Circadian Timing, and Mood in Early Adolescence.” Journal of Pineal Research, vol. 71, no.2, 2021, pp. 1-12.

Wang, Yu, et al. “An Investigation of Effectiveness Differences Between In-Class and Online Learning: An Engineering Drawing Case Study.” International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing, vol. 13, no.1, 2019, pp. 89-98.