Introduction
Nowadays, universities and colleges offer different learning options, including the two main ones – the traditional face-to-face way and online education. Each type of learning has advantages and disadvantages that allow students to choose the most relevant way for them, depending on their needs. The traditional type of learning is more about socialization and developing practical skills, while online learning is more about improving theoretical and research base.
Comparing Traditional and Distance Learning
Feedback
First, it is necessary to pay attention to the ways of communication with instructors as a form of receiving direct feedback. In the traditional type of teaching, students have the opportunity to personally discuss grades and work plans, ask questions, and receive immediate answers. In addition, students can communicate with instructors in person and find out the information they need rather than waiting for their email to be read.
In contrast, in online education, students are more on their own and need to wait longer for feedback on their work. Face-to-face discussion is rare because the online type usually does not require attending college and participating in practical work (Vallée et al. 9). As a result, it can be judged that, unlike online education, the traditional type is more focused on developing socialization. Providing opportunities for public speaking makes it easier for students to adapt to the educational environment; later on, these skills will be helpful in their careers. On the contrary, it is pretty difficult in the online environment due to technical limitations.
Practical Learning
Secondly, practical work and the development of practical skills should be fixed. With the growth of online learning, some practical skills in areas such as medicine, nursing, biology, or physics have been taught using computer technology (Rhim and Heeyoung 180). While virtual experiments are interesting and easy to understand, they do not allow students to do them independently.
Muscle and reflex memory is developed to a greater extent in traditional teaching. By repeating practical tasks several times, students quickly memorize them and continuously improve their abilities. In this case, traditional learning offers more opportunities than online education. Since the development of practical skills is an essential part of any education, it is necessary to keep in mind this significant difference and evaluate the effects of this factor on the qualification of future specialists.
Knowledge Gaining
Third, the type of information transfer differs between traditional and online formats. The traditional one is characterized by lectures and seminars, where lecturers read specific classroom material for students. Lecture attendance is usually mandatory; students must attend and take notes on the information. If lectures do not take place in an online format, they can be tedious and of little use.
On the contrary, online learning offers students different formats to record lectures and retrieve the material (Luo et al. 35). For example, PDF or presentations of lectures allow students to retrieve the material at any time and take notes as needed. Also, recordings of online lectures are usually provided with more breadth and detail as there are technical capabilities to record good audio (Vallée et al. 8). In the traditional type of learning, the efficiency of memorizing information from textbooks is lower than in the online combined format (Pujol et al. pp. 8). It can be established that the type of information delivery can influence students’ retention of information.
Student Motivation and Engagement
Finally, the online format offers a more theoretical and research-based approach than the traditional format. The traditional type is associated with more pressure on students because they have to visit the university frequently and take classes with little to do with their principal (Luo et al., 37). The practical approach is more present in traditional education, but online learning has a stronger theoretical basis. This is due to the possibility of choosing subjects and optimizing classes to suit one’s own pace of work.
In a small amount of time during a class, not all students have time to study scientific materials and need more time to prepare. Online learning options allow students to engage in detailed and thorough theoretical preparation without having to spend time on outside subjects and the need to attend college/university in person (Rhim and Heeyoung 177). Instead, they have time to work, immerse themselves in the profession, and build up a theoretical and scientific base valuable to their degree.
Conclusion
Consequently, students have different advantages when choosing their type of study because of some fundamental differences. They can study more practically or theoretically: the traditional approach allows them to delve into practice, while online education strengthens students’ theoretical base. In addition, due to the different ways of communicating with professors and other students, the possibility of adaptation and socialization is higher for students in the traditional format than for the online way.
One should also keep in mind how information is delivered and reproduced. Online learning students have more technical and audiovisual possibilities to record the lecture and take notes. Students of the traditional type have limited such possibilities. To summarize, the differences between traditional and online types of learning are quite pronounced, which allows students to make a choice based on facts.
Works Cited
Luo, Yiqing et al. “The Evaluation of the Distance Learning Combining Webinars and Virtual Simulations for Senior Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Period.” Clinical Simulation in Nursing, vol. 57, 2021, pp. 31-40. Web.
Pujol, Jesus et al. “Brain Activity during Traditional Textbook and Audiovisual-3D Learning.” Brain and Behavior, vol. 9, no. 10, 2019. Web.
Rhim, Hye Chang, and Heeyoung Han. “Teaching Online: Foundational Concepts Of Online Learning and Practical Guidelines.” Korean journal of medical education, vol. 32, nbo. 3, 2020, pp. 175-183. Web.
Vallée, Alexandre et al. “Blended Learning Compared to Traditional Learning in Medical Education: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, vol. 22, no. 8. 2020. Web.
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