Online Learning and Traditional Learning - Essay Example

Introduction Online learning is a form of study set where learners combine the use electronically means. It involves the internet to enable transfer of knowledge. Traditional learning is a long established custom found in schools and other environments set aside for learning traditionally seen as suitable. While both these are designed to deliver equal outcomes in education, their differences contribute to learning differently. The traditional learning allows interaction with the tutor in a stimulated class set.

Many stakeholders in the education sector are concerned that this education system is in threat from the online learning. While online learning is wide and allows learners more space to research and broaden their understanding it also allows interaction (Robinson & Doverspike, 2006). This paper will focus on how both traditional and online courses are premeditated to convey same outcome, yet the difference of the two learning modes contribute diverse learning processes. A misconception is that learners who learn online do not interact with others.

While they may not do it on a personal level, they do it through online correspondence like blogs and e-mails (Dray et al, 2011). Interaction is a vital process of learning, as everyone needs to seek the opinion of other students on the subject course. Online learning produces academically strong students with personal relation skills based on correspondence. In a traditional setting, the spirit of research is absent as students rely on recitation of one tutor to provide learning. When crowd of scholars are together in most cases, it leads to mob behavior where students misbehave.

To quell them, sometimes administrators use physical reprimand, which might at times serve to discourage students learning. According to (Robinson & Doverspike, 2006) technology must serve the subject matter, not the other way round. In this, it means that the online course must be set in such a way that it fulfills the demands of the students without much hustle. Learning materials available online at times have no limit and advance to levels beyond what students may require sometimes. This call for alteration of learning materials available online to suits the demand of learners.

Traditional students use books, set syllabus, and so need not worry about an encounter of any materials out of their curriculum. This makes progressive learning in the tradition setting easier compared to online learning. Traditional method is criticized for supporting teaching and not learning. It is mostly centered on the tutor instead of the student. Performance in a traditional setting has also constantly come under sharp criticism. Students that fail to appear for exams and fail to hand in their work fail.

Their failing does not prove that they did not know. Some students may pass and hand in their assignment, yet they do not understand what they are submitting. Rank or a few numbers in the form of marks determine student results. In an online setting, however, students get a detailed feedback from teachers based on evaluation of the students work. Comparison of students in different levels to award rank is impossible as each student learns based on his own program and time. Online students learn motivated by a certain purpose while the traditional setting is progressive based.

Students learn to later specialize at an advanced level. General learning critics think it is a waste of time and education should be based on a reason (Dray et al, 2011). These both systems require student responsibility. Students in online learning have to schedule themselves but have a more flexible system as they can access their classes anytime. Responsibility is only needed in ensuring that they do attend the class as they determine when they have to. In a traditional setting, lecturers set time to attend classes.

Students have a responsibility to be in these classes at the given time and stop all other they were doing. Failure to attend the lecture the student stands to lose and is left with a lot to catch up on. Responsibility is an fundamental aspect of working and so the products of these two systems are students who can be trusted with responsibility (Dray et al, 2011). Self-education is mostly enhanced in online learning. Those that correspond access their classes through the internet, and it is their duty to read.

Students in the traditional settings share the responsibility of learning with their tutors. Tutors provide them with the expected subject to handle for the given lecture. While at some point, they will have to take their own projects to research, their curriculum discourages self-education as tutors guide them. At the end of every course, build of character to the students is an indispensable measure of the success of a learning system (Robinson & Doverspike, 2006).Conclusion The traditional system has been blamed for erosion of character among students.

Riots resulting to destruction of properties occur in these institutions. Most of the students in a traditional setting are young who are enjoying the freedom from supervision of their guardians. Peer pressure in most cases leads these students to lose their moral character. Substance abuse and irresponsible sexual behavior are associates of this system. Students in such settings have time to interact and influence decisions of others. Online interaction is based on education subject only and means of influencing others behavior to erode character are minimal.

The learning and teaching domains for online courses and traditional classes are both distinctive in their unique way (Summers, Waigandt & Whittaker, 2005). Connecting the experiences of the past with the potentials of the future would result if both were integrated.ReferencesDray, B. J., Lowenthal, P. R., Miszkiewicz, M. J., Ruiz-Primo, M., & Marczynski, K. (2011). Developing an instrument to assess student readiness for online learning: a validation study. Distance Education, 32(1), 29-47.

Robinson, R. P., & Doverspike, D. (2006). Factors Predicting the Choice of an Online Versus a Traditional Course. Teaching Of Psychology, 33(1). Summers, J., Waigandt, A., & Whittaker, T. (2005). A Comparison of Student Achievement and Satisfaction in an Online Versus a Traditional Face-to-Face Statistics Class. Innovative Higher Education, 29(3).