Online vs Classroom Education Essay

Online vs. Classroom, which format is better for you? Well that all depends on you as a student and what fits your lifestyle. They say that college students between the ages of 18-21, benefit more from attending a traditional college. They have more of a need for the social atmosphere, plus this means freedom from living at home. Students who are older most likely already have jobs and family to support. Therefore, they find that going to an online university or college fits their lifestyle better. In the following pages, I am going to discuss the differences between online and on-campus classes and how internet classes compare to face-to-face classroom settings. Being in the classroom provides an interactive setting. Having students all in the same classroom has the benefit of allowing students to exchange ideas and have discussions with the teacher included in the exchange without any communication barrier. I just recently graduated from a Summit Career College and there’s no way I would have gotten through learning all the Microsoft Office Applications if I wouldn’t have taken it in class and had fellow student’s, plus my teacher there in class to help me. Therefore, you need to think about what kind of student you are and what kind of education program you will need to get through the subjects you are taking. Online learning provides a different level of conversation between students and with their teacher. They interact through class discussion boards, e-mail, and student chat rooms. Student chat rooms make it easier for professors to be more readily available to students. In addition, you have the opportunity to meet people from other parts of the world. For instance, I have had fellow classmates that are over in Iraq taking the same classes. Which I have found to be amazing on their part and informative. Since I have started at Ashford University, I look forward to the discussion boards and getting feedback from my classmates through that of communicating. Classrooms tend to group students together in large numbers, which makes it easier for students with learning deficiencies to get lost in the shuffle. In addition, for students who are shy or reserved to speak up in class and taking part in class. I have experienced that first hand at my last college. I found that most of the students in class did not respond to the teacher’s questions for fear of getting it wrong and feeling embarrassed when they did. Online classes have more of a one on one perspective from the teacher’s standpoint. Because most of the teacher to student communication is through e-mail, discussion boards or student chat rooms. Therefore, for some students, that is less intimidating and they do not have to worry about the teacher calling on them. . With online classes, students that are shy or reserved are not afraid to speak up or taking part in discussions. Online education requires discipline, focus, dedication, and motivation as does on-campus. There are so many distractions when you are at home then when you are in class. When you are at home, you can pick the place and time that is best for you to do your study time. In addition, if you have a full time job to go to everyday, online classes make it easier for you to get your education that way. In class, you have a teacher in front of you to keep you focused and to help you pay attention. Online you have to keep yourself focused, you are responsible f or getting your assignments, and making sure, they are turned in on time. In class, you have more reminders around you for getting your assignments in on time and there is more structure. In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to either type of learning environment. It is to your advantage to use something from each method to its fullest. The combination of both online and classroom education might be what is best for some students. However, for some students having a consistent school schedule prohibits some students from furthering their education. It is up to the student to figure out which is better overall for them. So, do your research on which schools have and which format is right for you. I did about a month of research on online schools before I picked Ashford University. I would recommend you do your homework before you select a school for yourself.