Online Course VS. Traditional Course - Essay Example

Keywords: online course, traditional course, learning When it comes to learning a course whether online or in traditional format, there are many things a person can actually compare or contrast. In this essay, the proponent tries to elaborate the actual experience obtained in taking an online course versus that of a traditional course acquired in a brick-and-mortar classroom in the presence of an instructor. Compared with an online course, a course taken in a classroom with a teacher requires more complex interaction including but not limited to verbal communications.

At some point, non-verbal communication could somehow add to the quality of learning. For example, in the actual setting, learning in a classroom provides ample opportunity for students to have maximum lively interaction with each other and primarily with the teacher who would efficiently facilitate the discussion. However, this is just a specific case one could use for comparing online course and traditional course. There are other important issues that one needs to critically consider. In the actual online course, and based on experience, it is implied that a student needs to substantially come up with strategies for effective online learning.

These include but not limited to setting objectives, spending time wisely, maximizing effective words and being adept with technology-integrated curriculum (Pankhurst, 2007; Forsyth, 2010; Adair, 2011; Information Resources Management Association, 2010). The major points of contrast in this case are the actual environment where to facilitate learning and the maximum capacity or potential of the student to apply competitive strategies in acquiring maximum learning advantage. In classroom learning and traditional course, it is the teacher who most of the time would find it for the students to lively initiate how to acquire the entire plan for learning.

In other words, as a facilitator, the instructor or teacher would ensure that there is an actual application of planned lessons and even strategies how to facilitate and make sure effective learning on the part of the students. There is a sort of spoon-feeding in this area knowing the fact that at the end of the class, the facilitator or instructor would see to it that everything should turn out well as planned. The instructor would make sure that everybody is able to grasp the main concepts or ideas embodied in the lesson or discussion.

Thus, in traditional course, students will be able to feel the personal touch of the instructor. In fact, after the lesson there is still another ample time for the students to interact with the teacher may it be either for some sort of clarification or additional learning and insights. On the other hand, the technology-integrated curriculum via online course may be a bit complicated, but it ensures experiences for the students suitable for the prevailing advancement in the 21st century (Ornstein, Levine & Gutek, 2010).

In online course, the nature of learning therefore may be a bit different from the traditional course because the instructor in the first place needs to make the necessary adjustment due to the kind of environment involved in the learning process. For example, the instructor needs to maximize the time and the effective use of words in this environment because there are constraints when it comes to initiating a two-way communication process. Based on experience, one constraint may be the