Online education has become very popular among people earning a degree without attending classes and making a break in employment. As more and more students choose online education rather than traditional classroom attendance, numerous advantages of traditional teaching techniques are forgotten. Traditional education is more interactive, it offers a balance between social involvement and educational development. Traditional education promotes communication and helps students to get along with peers better. While being in class, students are encouraged to help each other, to ask questions if something is not clear, to discuss problems and concerns. Online education has its own benefits as well, but virtual education is more difficult and challenging and cannot become an equal substitute to face-to-face interaction.
Students pursuing degree online are probably satisfied with the quality of teaching, however, the difference between two leaning techniques (virtual and traditional) still matters. Of course, online education is the solution for those who have family and employment obligations. Students who are not able to leave their homes or do not want to be socially involved choose distance education. However, the truth is that students do learn more while being in classroom among other students, when participation is a vital element of teaching process. The importance of participation and direct involvement into discussions cannot be underestimated, while online education lacks these elements. It is impossible to get into discussion while getting education online as well as valuable critical thinking skills cannot be developed through virtual classes.
In addition to participative opportunities, traditional education is more advantageous in term of social development. Just to mention speeches and presentations in front of the peers – it cannot be practiced in virtual classrooms. Speech delivery and presentation preparation is the only way to help students to overcome fear of public speaking, to give the opportunity to learn from others, to compare, and to improve. Traditional classrooms motivate students to be socially active, to communicate more openly, to share ideas, to participate in debates, to discuss, and, of course, to ask questions.
In simple words, online education is of relative quality. Is online education good? Do online courses match the traditional education in quality and rigor? Can online courses meet the same educational objectives as traditional course? Can students truly learn online? There is no definite answer to these questions; however, the fact that the vast majority of students worldwide go to schools rather than learn online indicates that traditional education is of higher academic value. School is the place where students gain knowledge, learn to communicate with peers, find out how to become successful. Even though supporters of online education claim that traditional courses are focused on teachers rather than students, it is hard to understand how a student can succeed without participation. Getting degree online is about self-motivation, discipline, and perseverance. Of course, each student getting degree online has the opportunity to talk with teachers, however, this type of communication is not interactive and student cannot get advice from peers and hear discussions.
Traditional education is more beneficial because it significantly contributes to personal, emotional, social development as well as to creative and physical advancement. Online education, being technology based, minimizes human factor and shifts most responsibilities to computer. Online courses are chosen because of lack of time and this is the reason why online courses are more difficult. In traditional setting, classes have to be attended at prearranged times while online education does not provide academic progress evaluation. Of course, while getting degree online, students are given guidance but the responsibility lies on the student who has freedom to study at his own pace. Thus, absence of time requirements is used as the way to put off the assignments. It is a well-known fact that very few students are inner-motivated to study. Most of the people getting a degree need to be motivated by the tutor, some need to feel outside control. Thus, students pay for online courses, however, lack motivation and encouragement. Online education does not contribute to creative and personal development, because there is no face-to-face communication with tutor and peers.
Disadvantages of online education include fewer employment opportunities, lack of oral communication, high level of fraud, and fewer courses. If to imagine a situation when a student spent twice longer time to get a degree online, but his employer did not acknowledge online degree or the degree appeared to be not accredited, the student has simply wasted his time. Online education is a relatively new opportunity and, unfortunately, fraud is an important risk factor to consider. Online education is believed to be more flexible and it truly is. However, as it was already noted, flexibility is advantage and disadvantage at the same time because not all students are willing and able to assume responsibility for making their own schedules. Online education is technology based and even though students getting degree online do not have to be computer scientists, they still have to feel comfortable with using technology. Lack of oral communication is the most important factor which makes online education less attractive compared to traditional. While many students do not find it to be a problem, more students need face-to-face interaction and tutor’s attention.
Online education might become a number one educational mean, however, today its disadvantages are greater than advantages of traditional education. Using instant messaging and web camera cannot replace face-to-face communication. In classroom setting, students can learn more through socialization with tutor and peers. For example, in classroom setting tutor can provide valuable life lessons and adjust lesson to specific reactions of students. It cannot be done through technology. It is the same as doing research through online library – many valuable sources can be missed. Moreover, most of the students are of young age and being with peers is one of the important factors for them. Classroom interaction offers more opportunities to learn, to remain focused, and to get personal feedback. Some may educate his own self, but as members of society, students succeed only through interaction with people. For example, competitive spirit cannot be achieved online.
Online education meets the learning objectives, but it is not enough. Personal presence of a teacher, interactive communication with peers, socialization, creative development are vital for successful learning, while online education does not contain these elements. Students pursuing degree online have to be disciplined, and, more important, be inner-motivated to get education. Traditional classrooms help students to become active members of society, to listen to others, to express ideas, to share thoughts, and to maintain close relations with tutor. Online education is one-sided and makes students fully responsible for their academic success without giving an opportunity to learn from others.