Introduction
The online teaching industry has grown significantly in recent years, with online teachers being hired all over the world. This is because online teaching has several advantages, including lower costs for both employers and employees, the flexibility of schedule, more job opportunities, and higher pay rates. But what about classroom teaching? Is this still a viable option, or have online courses taken their place?
In this blog post, we will look at the benefits of online versus classroom coursework to help you decide which route to choose!
6 Differences Between A Traditional Classroom And Online Teaching
Classroom teaching means in-class lectures, fun classes, and in-person workshops. Instructors can teach their lessons using various methods, including PowerPoint presentations, handouts, quizzes, and tests to keep students engaged. Although online teaching offers many benefits, such as convenience learning from anywhere at any time— classroom teaching is still an essential piece for some companies or organizations that need real-time interaction between employees or pupils studying together. Here are some differences to compare!
- Students and teachers can be more interactive online.
In a traditional classroom, students and teachers can be interactive as they are physically present at the same place. Moreover, students can enjoy many activities that will get them active as they’ll have to be on the move constantly. Students also get to meet fellow students and work along with them.
Online teaching allows students to interact with teachers online by using discussion forums and online message boards. Online education offers instant feedback to students and teachers. The instructors can use online chats or online discussion boards for tutorials where they can answer questions and give guidance during lessons.
- Diverse learning materials
In a traditional classroom, teachers are restricted to textbooks and blackboards. Some teachers do add in some extra work like assigning students to read a book or so. Moreover, they also prefer students to brush up on a specific topic by browsing on the internet.
In online teaching, students are provided with a wide range of resources. Students can avail the online library, which has thousands of books, journals, articles, downloadable presentations, videos, links, etc. Online teaching makes it easier for both teachers and students to find suitable ones that will help enhance their learning experience. Teachers can upload various media files such as slideshows that make lessons more interesting, plus engaging activities like quizzes increase students’ ability to understand key concepts taught in class.
- Lectures
In a traditional classroom, lectures are pretty long, and students can quickly clarify their doubts. The face-to-face interaction makes the lecture effective, and there aren’t any chances of getting distracted. Moreover, the lecturer gets to look at the students and spot whether they’re understanding or not. In fact, during lectures, the educators specifically ask specific questions to students to engage them.
In online teaching, lectures are more interesting because the teacher can use videos, images, photos, etc. Videos allow you to show diagrams that are especially useful in subjects like math to make explanations more straightforward through visuals rather than just words on a page.
- Teacher qualification
Most of the schools employ teachers who are incredibly skilled and knowledgeable. In schools, many parents directly visit to enquire about a teacher’s performance; thus, schools don’t usually hire teachers who don’t communicate well.
Enrolling in an online course gives students access to learn from experts worldwide who have vast amounts of knowledge, particularly in their field, making it perfect for people with busy schedules since classes are available at all hours online, including weekends and holidays!
- Expenses
Going in-person to a school is indeed expensive. The students have to pay for tuition fees, books, and supplies. The travelling costs are also costly when it has to be done daily. Sometimes, the additional resources that teachers ask the students to avail also come with a price, making traditional classrooms quite expensive.
Online courses are often cheaper than attending a traditional school since online learning eliminates building expenses such as rent, utilities, etc., and non-teaching costs such as cleaning and maintenance.
- Flexibility
In a traditional classroom, students are expected to be present on time, usually at around 8 in the morning. The flexibility of assignment submissions is also relatively rigid.
Whereas in online teaching, both students and teachers have the freedom to learn at convenience either through mobile devices or personal computers. They have increased flexibility in scheduling lessons according to individual needs. Moreover, home assignments are done online without having to travel anywhere else.
Final thoughts
Although the advantages of online courses outweigh those of traditional classrooms – there’s something about being physically present with your peers and instructors which you can’t get online! It also provides face-to-face interactions, which help form relationships among colleagues or classmates, making it easier to understand each other through networking opportunities afterwards. Whatever is your option, we indeed believe it will give you the best experience!
Happy learning!
