Online Education, Same as Traditional Learning?
My Dad used to say the more things change the more they really stay the same, and that’s certainly true of online education when you get right down to it.
People tend to think that online education and traditional learning are completely different from one another, but that is simply not true. Both modes of learning have quite a bit in common actually.
What every student is accustomed to is a textbook, instructor, class discussion, written assignments, and exams. Both online and traditional learning grant you that. But lets break this down a bit further and examine how they walk that line.
- A book is a book, however, sometimes the book for online education students is available right online at a discounted rate and is also supplemented with additional readings taken from relevant websites throughout the semester.
- Your online instructor usually has either set times they are available to field questions (just like in a traditional classroom setting) or you may simply post your questions in the virtual online classroom for both the instructor and your fellow students to help answer.
- The online class discussions are posted right on the bulletin board. It’s especially great for those passive students who would otherwise not ask any questions.
- Written assignments are basically the same. Those are usually just sent by email (Word document) to the professor or posted right online for only the professor to see.
- Taking an exam is far and away the biggest difference. You usually have timed exams, just as you would in a traditional classroom, however, you are taking the exam online and receive your grade immediately following.
So it’s really not the tools that are all that different, it’s the setting. It’s like building a house in December in the cold or July when it’s hot. You still use the same tools, you just need to adjust to the different environment. Millions of students have already made that adjustment. Are you next?
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1st and foremost – college must be accredited. Also some online colleges are only online while others are regular colleges/universities that have online courses and you can take your pick.
Just remember to keep up with the course. It’s all up to you!
I have taken online courses. Was wonderful for all but one of my subjects. Meteorology and I hated it. Probably because I just did not care where and what caused the weather. lol.
Otherwise I really enjoy online courses.
When I receive my Bachelor degree in Education I will be taking Masters courses online & look forward to it.
You just have to know that it is up to you to keep up with the course(s) – no goofing off – and don’t expect to get notes from another student cause you may not know any other student.
nice article
This information was very enlightening.
Yes, I believe the online has became almost the same as traditional classes because you can get the same resources for your courses online as you would have in a class room.
This is very good information, but I don’t think that online classes work for everyone. I need the direct contact of other people.
It’s all a matter of opinion but I believe traditional school is better. Nothing beats the experience that one can only get in a busy classroom.
I have to say that I find the two VERY different. I’m taking statistics online, and it is probably the hardest class I’ve ever taken, even though I have a B. I pretty much have to teach myself the math…When the teacher is there, the most he can refer us to is tabs next to the homework that try and teach you how to do it. As a matter of fact, I’m beginning to question why we even have a teacher…Over the past 4 months, I’ve spoken to him maybe 4 times, and never more than 15 minutes.
Traditional classroom is better, to me. The teacher is there when you need him, you have a more hands-on/personal relationship with him, and he can show you to your face just how it is that you work out a problem.
Hi Theresa, thanks for stopping by and leaving your inspiring comment.
Hi Tori, Thanks for posting. Online college degree is going to help you in meeting your career goals but this will only happen when you take admission in an accredited online college. Stay away from online colleges that are not accredited by the US Department of Education.
Hi Adebisi, thanks for liking the post.
Hi Jackie, Thanks for liking the post. I would appreciate you backlink my post when using the content.
I’ve taken online classes and loved them. Although, I am not so sure about online colleges, they sound kind of hokey to me.
thank for the explication it was helpful
On-line education is excellent especially for professional people who have no time to spend in a traditional class room.
this explains a lot
This information is very useful to know if you were considering to take any online courses.
I am taking online course too. This information are helpful.
I have taken an online class in the past. Even though it was a great experience I much rather the classroom setting. It is helpful to a student to have direct contact with an instructor.
VERY HELPFUL INFO.
I’ve taken online and traditional class and i much prefer traditional learning. Personally, the direct intereaction with other people helps me learn better. I can see online learning being preferred by someone who needs a quiet environment for learning.
I had my doubts about the recognition you receive from employers concerning online classes. I guess I am a little old school when it comes to some things such as this however after much research involving online classes vs. the traditional classroom setting I have found that you can learn just as much online as a student in the classroom and the degrees you earn are just as substantial. There are many pros and cons therefore I feel you must obtain a different mind set if you do choose online classes. I know that you must be very disciplined and focused and physically set aside time to study online with no distractions to absorb the maximum amount of educational material given to you. Another con is that typically online degrees cost some what more than an in class degree however you must weigh what is best for your lifestyle. As a husband with four children, helping my wife care for an ill family member and working full time it is more convienent for me to be in the home instead of being gone even longer each day.
Thank you for the information, Its good to see such quality posts.
Personally, I prefer to be in a class rather than being home taking courses online. I’m the type of person that procrastinates and i won’t get the work done unless i’m sitting in a classroom setting. Everyone is different, but that’s just me.
Traditional learning is definately better leaving an impression on moral character as well.
Works fo some people but I need to be in the classroom ou never know who’s really taking the class could be they friend doing all the work and they getting the credit
Traditional schools give you the whole college experience that most people learn a lot from. At a University your social skills grow and you learn to be a more independent and responsible adult. Online school cant offer you that kind of education. Yay traditional schools, Nay online.
Never thought online learning could be so rewarding. Thanks.
I believe that it really depends on the person. I, personally, am really good at online classes but some people need that hands on learning. I have already planned to transistion to online learning because of the fact that it gives me more time to do everything else that I have to get done without worrying if I will be late for class.I guess it is all about convenience.
traditional schools sound better in my opinion
cool story bro
I suppose there are the pro’s and the con’s of both traditional and online. It would also probably depend on the classes you’re taking whether you would do well or not. A class that would require more instructor-student involvement due to the intensity would probably bebest in a traditional setting. I’m personally a bit interested in online schooling because of travel distances.
I prefer a traditional school.
I THINK TRADITIONAL LEARNING IS BETTER,CLASSROOMS YOU GET MORE UNDERSTANDING DUE TO THE FACT THE TEACHERS ARE RIGHT THERE TO GO OVER THE PART OF THE LESSON YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. ONLINE YOU CAN’T REALLY TALK TO ANYONE.
I am currently attending highschool online, but I have gone to a regular school before. I have learned far more in my online school than I ever did in public school. Because of the NCLB act, I was constantly doing things that were often two years behind my grade level. My online school is much more challenging, I have lots of assignments to do, and although sometimes it can be very overwhelming, it has helped me learn how to organize my assignments and divide time into pieces to ensure that I get all my work done, both of which will be very helpful when I go to college.
Recently I was hanging out with a Student of a so called “traditional” school, on campus.
I was doing homework with him, and he turns his assignments in ONLINE. I am a current student at Kaplan Online, and I do my work and classes online.
They are similar, and you might as well do it online so you can go to the beach and do class and Homework at the beach.
You should. Its more relaxing, be careful for sand though.
I am currently taking an online geology course that is fully online and it is very hard for me, but I believe that the reason for that is because I do not like science and I don’t understand geology all that well. I am planning on taking online college courses though, but I belive that they will be different because it is on something that I actually like. The only problem with online courses that I can think of is if you have a technical difficulty to where you couldn’t turn in your assignments or work on your assignments. Other than that, I think I would enjoy online courses because I like working on computers. And what I want to work on on online courses is on computers anyways so…
This cleared up the concerns I had about online classes.
It seems just as hard as taking a physical class, only without the eye candy and torture of finding a parking spot on campus.
I still think going on campus should be the real deal.
In my opinion a traditional setting would be alot more affective. It sets up social structures and alows you to mature socially. However if your not fresh from high school online might be a better choice.
I think traditional school is different from online education. Depending on the person I think some would do better in a traditional setting, and some people would do better online away from other distractions.
I believe that traditional learning is more benifital.
Online education is totally different from Traditional education because in traditional schools you have teachers that can help you. While online you don’t get much help and it’s going to be harder.
I believe that they have their pro’s and con’s also. I also believe that traditional learning has more pro’s.
I believe that traditional school is better because you get one-on-one attention with your teachers and sometimes helps students get a better understanding.
This is very true. I have attended both online and classroom college. I personally love online, but I do understand the difficulties that pursue. I used to sit in traffic for over an hour to get to class after spending 8 hours at work. Id then sit in class for 3 hours, only to get home at 10pm, and have to wake back up at 5am for work. Online classes allow me to attend lectures whenever I can. I still have lots of homework, and even more reading. The instructors read their email everyday and respond to questions, usually posting them in FAQ sections for others to read.
I’d rather be in class.
I am currently taking online classes, but have also experienced traditional university settings. My experience has been positive for the online sessions. In the traditional setting, there was not the instant one-on-one you have with online. I have had immediate access to professors and more indepth instruction.
I think if your a very busy person this is the right step to take . I would not take a online course because i can manage to go to school and work at the same time. The thing about going to college is that you get that experience and get to meet new people. You get help from the new friends you make. At home it just would not work for me. Of course it all depends what type of person you are.
with online shcooling you miss the social apsect
apples and oranges!
I took one online course. After that, I told myself that I would never take another one. Although you are still getting the same information, you don’t have that face-to-face interaction with a teacher. You can’t just stop in after class to ask questions. I’ll stick to my regular school education.
I have done both online and the traditional classes. To me they each have benefits. With the traditional classes you have instructors that can take you through the process step by step, and so can and online instructor. My opinion is that with the online classes you can stay home and do the same thing as you can in a traditional setting and that is learn. To me it is a lot easier to do.
Myself i rather be in class because you’ll learn more and get a better understanding whats going on
i dont believe you get more from being in a class room actually face to face with an instructor.
I’m the kind of person that prefers to be lectured and have someone there to explain what the subject is about. I have an online course for the fall and I thought it was going to be difficult but its not..but no matter what there is nothing better than being taught in person.
i still couldnt do it personally…im especially retarted wen it comes to math. i would suggest it for students tht dont need special attention and work fairly well in all subjects….
I think online courses are better for certain people while traditional classroom courses are for others. Some people learn better when they are being taught in person, but others can just read something and remember it. I can probably do either if I set my mind to it.
I still beleive that traditional colleges provide much more than academic learning but a whole experience of being on your own. But online education doesnt seem as bad as i thought
I think that for some people online schooling is ok, but you miss out on the social aspect of school and the one-on-one time with your instructors.
I think the best way to learn is in a classroom from a teacher who is passionate about what he/she is speaking about. I remember things best from teachers like that.
I think the classroom experience would have the edge for me. Online education may have to be considered for people in certain conditions but nothing beats that college experiece!
Niice! haha
I believe that it all dependse on what kind of person you are in order to find out which is best for you or which one is best on your point of view. For example I’m all for tradition but another person might feel otherwise. They might like an online course better because of the time difference. I would rather learn in a classroom because your teacher is always right there to express and misunderstanding.
traditional all the way, but it’s stupid to discredit online colleges because people actually do get jobs and live successful lives from getting online degrees
I prefer traditional because there is more interaction and hands on.
It really all depends on the type of person you are. I have actually done both. Right now I prefer the online classes because it works with my schedule and I get to learn at my own pace. This works out well when there are certain weeks I want to get ahead. Being in the classroom and being able to talk face to face with your teacher is sometimes a lot more handy than online.
Online courses can be good and bad. It just depends on how dedicated and self-disciplined the students is.
While it is undeniable that online courses are easy to use, and are often more convenient than commuting to campus would be, in the long run there are some courses that can simply not be taught online. Many, if not most, of the science courses require hands on experience. There just simply is no way to conduct a lab over the web, without serious injuries resulting from a lack of understanding, or from not having a professor to oversee the process. Many of the literature classes would also loose their impact, since you would be restricted to fewer views or points of comparison, than what might be given in a traditional classroom setting. Also, who really wants to spend all that money that college costs, just to sit inside interacting with your computer, instead of immersing yourself into the world of academia? Personally, I think online courses should be used as little as possible.
I think there are pros and cons for both as most have mentioned. I especially like the one about “can’t you cheat?” as that would be one of my questions…I think on-line was started to benefit those that have minimal time for class…but I agree that you definitely have to be very time organized and focused. My sister obtained her Bachelor’s online because she likes staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning…I myself prefer the traditional in-class because of the interaction even though you can interact by email…not the same I think.
I think when you learn from lecture and notetaking you cant change later in life.
I need to get more help on scholarships and I try to fing if online class are less expensive.
I am also taking online classes through my local community college. I find them to be more demanding than sitting in a classroom. It is convenient because you can still work a full time job and not be restricted to a certain time everyday for your studies. The work is harder and the tests are harder because you do not have the professor right there in front of you to explain something or go over test material. The only really bad part about online classes is you still have to make time to go to the campus testing center for tests and by a certain date. My job can be unethically demanding of my time somedays and I find myself panicking as the deadline for the test approaches.
I’d say they are the same. I’ve taken online classes and I finished in no time with no trouble.
I am all for being traditional. I am an auditory and visual learner and I a lecture to concentrate.
I think both ways work for the type of person you are, just because theres some people that dont like asking questions in front of the whole class because they dnt want there question to be stupid compared to other ones, so they both have there advantages
i prefer learning in a classroom than in an online course.
I think online classes would be good for someone who has children. But on the other hand wouldnt it be super easy to cheat on an exam?
I prefer traditional school over online school because I’m more engaged in learning if I’m surrounded by friends and other students.
I have tried online classes before and didn’t do well in them at all. I think I would have done better if I had pushed myself to do the readings, but to me it seemed that I was teaching myself and I didn’t like that feeling.
sounds intresting is worth a try to see how it compares
I believe that traditional is important because I know many people who need to hear a professor or teacher lecture in order to remember things.
wow.. i had no clue they were this alike.. but couldnt you cheat on the exams?
I believe that I personally would want to be in a classroom to interact with other students but if you can’t be there earning your degree online would benefit you in many ways.
I think that the quality of the education taught in online courses is different from person to person. I personally feel like I retain information more effectively when sitting across the table from a teacher, but I have plenty of friends who favor online courses due to the fact that they learn at their own pace. It really depends.
Attending a traditional class is so much better than taking online courses because you actually have someone explaining the lecture to you instead of trying to understand it on your own.
I have on-line classes and on site classes. It’s that same as getting up and driving to class or getting up and getting on-line:-)
I agree that they are the same. The argument of self-discipline is no different than getting up off the couch and going to the computer versus driving to college or walking from the dorm room to class.
It’s soothing to know that online classes are not too hard, that it’s just like being in a classroom.
Might be worth a try
both type of classes teach the subject. However, in my experience traditional college classes are better because you develop networks that you can’t sitting at a computer miles away. These networks help you get scholarships and first knowledge of job openings in your field of study. you also start friendships that may last the rest of your life and provide references.
I still believe that they are very different. Based on the fact that online you could easily use other websites to help you with your work.
I think that traditional and online learning have a lot in common in terms of the depth and breach of material. I do tend to think that the students who choose online learning over traditional learning are in a different place in their lives. Many of them have families, careers or other full time obligations. The traditional student (in my experience) has less outside obligations.
The only thing that I find different is the experience. When you are at home taking online classes, you don’t feel the presence of a lecture hall or get to walk around the campus in between classes. I don’t think I can handle an online class, I’ll be too distracted.
To be honest going to school online is harder I have attended campus and go to school online now. There are pros and cons to both. You have to be super disciplined to be a successful online student because even though there are deadlines for assignments there is no one physically hyping you up to do the work. Also you really have to be able to sit and figure out things on your own a lot and problem solve online. People think online is easier because the tests are open book but to be honest the test don’t count for many points in the classes because your grade is pretty much figured out by projects that take weeks to finish. The campus atmosphere is socially better though because I had made great friends with my online school but everyone lives across the U.S. Bottom line everyone has different learning preferences so one does not fit everyones lifestyle.
wow..
I think I will stick to traditional learning even though online seems like it has some good points.
i have taken both online and traditional classes and think that both are okay. online classes can get a little overwhelming, but so can regular classes.
hmmm I would like to go to school online but I don’t know I feel like I wouldnt learn anything since theres no teacher with me to make work….
I have taken both online and face to face college courses and both have their benefits. depending on the course i prefer one or the other… I do better face to face with history and english, and better online with maths and sciences
I have personally tried online courses and I don’t do as well. You have to be extremely self motivated and I always got frustrated with the limitations of questioning via email. For me, class rooms work a lot better but I do know quite a few people who have been very successful with on line courses.
Good argument. My children attend a Montessori school where they are expected to be self directed. They don’t sit at traditional tables and chairs and they keep learning! It’s interesting to think about how we narrowly define our ideas about education and appropriate settings. It seems to me that content is half the requirement and that an attitude of “whatever it takes,” could learn to more actual learning taking place!
huh, never thought of it that way. They do sound the same.
I do not think they are different. I am currently taking online classes and the classes can get really hard. I hate when people tell me that I am not actually a college student because I do not physically sit in a classroom. Just because I do not sit in a classroom does not mean I am not a college student. I still have to read lectures from my instructors, do homework, write papers, take tests, and I have finals too. Taking online classes and sitting in a classroom are the same thing to me.
I still beleive that they are completely different…although i am still not sure which one is better. I guess they both have their pro’s and con’s
Going to a traditional school is better because you can get a better understanding of assignments.
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