We were already very much living in the age of the internet, but thanks to the global pandemic and the issues that arose coming out of that, as people were unable to leave their home, our reliance on the internet has become even heavier. One of the ways that this manifests itself is the implementation of online learning. This had to happen so that education could continue, even if going to classrooms couldn’t; however, now, as lockdowns steadily come to an end, a lot of organizations are continuing to adopt remote learning. Is this the right call?
This article will highlight the main differences between online learning and classroom learning, and discuss the pros and cons of both.
There Is No Human Interaction
This is probably the most obvious difference as it was the main reason that remote learning was brought into force in the first place. If you want to look into technicalities, then this isn’t true – there is a lot of human interaction, except none of it is physical.
This can be a benefit for a lot of people as they feel more relaxed learning from their own home and so better retain the information they’re being taught. That being said, whether or not physical interaction is a good thing depends on the course you’re doing. Take the 18th Edition Course taught by Skills Training Group, for example. This course is for practicing electricians and discusses practical work and safety and, as such, the physical learning is paramount to ensure, moving forward, the safety of both the pupil and the people that they end up working with.
24/7 Access to Learning Materials
When students are learning online, they are always able to access the learning materials such as module contents, past assessments, lecture materials, recorded sessions and podcasts anytime throughout their course. If a student learns in the classroom, then there will be a physical location to speak to tutors, which can be more beneficial but also limiting in terms of the available time you can do it. It wouldn’t be a surprise if more schools embraced uploading documents online, even if students return to classrooms as there is no getting around the convenience of doing this.
You Can Practice While You Study
When you are learning a course online, especially if you’re a university student, you will be able to fit your studies alongside your work schedules. If you are learning in a classroom this is not always the case as if you miss the lesson, then you miss the lesson.
When it comes to practicing what students are learning as well, in younger pupils, they are able to learn on a much deeper level because online resources provide puzzles and math problems that allow them to interact with and solve problems in a much more engaging way.
Conclusion
As we slowly come out of the pandemic, a lot of lockdown habits appear here to stay, including online learning. Online learning comes with both pros and cons and whether or not it will be embraced further will be determined by the course itself and those who are taking it.
