Education on campus vs. Online education! Is one better than the other? Can one completely replace the other? In fact, it seems that online education is the way of the future. Educational institutions, corporations, and government organizations already offer various forms of e-learning. However, can a computer really replace a teacher and a whiteboard?
How people learn
Each individual has the form of learning that suits him best. Some people achieve fantastic results in online courses, yet most people drop out of 100% computer-led courses. Educational institutions, as well as companies in carrying out the training of their staff, must recognize that there is no ideal way to teach a large group of people, so they must design the programs that best suit to the needs of the group as a whole.
People learn using multiple senses. This involves learning through the theoretical components of a course, as well as social interaction with both instructors and other students. Students learn from the mistakes and successes of others, not just from what instructors tell them.
Each individual student has an ideal learning rate. Thus, instructors are faced with the challenge of designing courses that advance in such a way that those students with a slower learning pace do not lag behind, while not moving so slowly that students with faster learning paces get bored. .
Online education
In the age of high-speed information transfer, online education is becoming a popular and inexpensive means of teaching people outside of the classroom and, in some cases, around the world. Teaching can be done through CDs, websites, or through real-time online facilities such as webcasts, webinars and virtual classrooms. However, each of the different online education methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Online education is still a relatively new concept, and in many respects it is still in its early stages. As such, various issues arise across different online education settings. For example:
1. Lack of immediate feedback in asynchronous learning environments: While some online education environments, such as webcasts, webinars, and virtual classrooms, operate live with the addition of an instructor, most do not. Teaching delivered via CD or website, while having the advantage of being self-paced, does not provide immediate feedback from a live instructor.
2. More Instructor Preparation Required – In an online education environment, an instructor cannot just stand in front of a blackboard and teach a class. Lessons in online education settings should be prepared in advance, along with any notes and instructions that may accompany the teaching.
In many cases, it would also be necessary for the instructor to understand not only the concepts being taught, but also the technology used to deliver that teaching. Hence, this increases the skill levels required of online education instructors, thus increasing the demand for educational institutions.
Staffing levels may also be higher for courses taught in an online education environment, requiring, for example:
The instructor: capable of teaching both the content of the course and being skilled in the use of the technologies involved.
The facilitator: to help the instructor deliver the content, but can do it remotely.
Help Desk: to offer assistance to instructors, facilitators and students in the use of software and hardware used to deliver the course.
3. Not all people are comfortable with online education: education is no longer only sought by the young people of the world. With a growing trend towards adult and continuing education, there is a need to design courses suitable for students of a wider age range, as well as for students of different and varied backgrounds. However, it is difficult to design suitable online educational environments for everyone.
4. Increased potential for frustration, anxiety and confusion: In an online education environment, there are more parts of the system that can fail. Server failures can prevent online courses from working. Software-based teaching applications may require other specific components to function. Computer viruses can infect software necessary to run online educational environments. If these systems are complex, students may choose the ease of education on campus rather than taking the extra time and effort required to master the use of online educational systems.
5. The digital divide: many people living in remote areas and developing countries do not have access to computers, making any form of online education virtually impossible. For this reason, online education can only be aimed at people who are lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the technology involved. Similarly, offering live teaching around the world means that different time zones and nationalities increase the demand for multipurpose instructors.
In addition to these, there are also various legal issues associated with maintaining an online educational environment. For example, intellectual property laws, particularly those related to copyright, may or may not completely cover electronically created intellectual property. For example, information on a website is not necessarily considered in the public domain, despite being available to everyone. However, Australia’s Copyright Act was amended in 2001 to ensure that copyright owners of electronic materials, including online education environments, could continue to provide their works commercially.
Education on campus
Still, the most common form of instruction is traditional classroom learning. These instructor-led environments are more personal than online education environments, and they also have the advantage of allowing immediate feedback from both students and teachers. However, the classroom allows less flexibility than courses taught in online education settings.
Instructors in modern classroom settings can still take advantage of various forms of electronic teaching tools while maintaining the atmosphere associated with the traditional classroom setting. For example, PowerPoint slides can be used instead of a whiteboard or whiteboard. The brochures can be distributed through the course websites prior to the event. However, on the day, students can still actively participate in the lesson.
Like online education environments, campus education has certain drawbacks, the most common of which is the classroom itself. This requires that a group of people who, in a university, for example, may reach a few hundred people, meet in the same place at the same time. This requires a great financial and time commitment on the part of the students and the educational institution.
However, this type of environment is the most familiar to students from all over the world. People of all ages can access a classroom environment feeling comfortable with the way a course is conducted in a classroom. Older students who are not comfortable with the use of information technology are not required to navigate through possibly complex online educational environments, making on-campus education the most accessible form of teaching.
On-campus education has an advantage that 100% electronically taught courses cannot offer: social interaction. Learning comes from observing, not just what is written on one page or presented in a slide show, but what is observed on others. Most students are naturally curious, so they will want to ask their instructors questions. The classroom environment allows students to clarify what is being taught not only with their instructors, but with other students.
So which one is better?
There is no one style of instruction that best suits all students. Studies have shown (Can online education replace on-campus education?) That courses in which online education is used to supplement on-campus education have been shown to be more effective than courses taught in their entirety. using only one method. These courses take advantage of both online educational materials and a live instructor, and have produced superior results than students in 100% online education courses or in the classroom setting. Students have the advantage of immediate feedback and social interaction that comes with the classroom environment, as well as the convenience of self-paced online education modules that can be done when best suited to the student.
It would seem that online education environments will never completely replace education on campus. There is no “one size fits all” teaching method. Teaching styles will continue to adapt to find the method that best suits the learning group. By using a combination of online educational environments and classroom sessions, educational institutions, corporations, and government organizations can ensure that training is delivered conveniently and effectively for both instructors and students.