Traditional and online high school classes – Term Paper

Digital age and learning system

        The digital age has revolutionized the learning system. Today, online classes are the preferred choice for people who have no time to attend lectures or those with challenges that affect their ability to participate in the traditional class setting. It is apparent that despite the emergence of online learning there are individuals who still prefer the traditional approach.  This paper seeks to examine the similarity and difference between conventional and online class. From the existing variations and similarities, the discussion argues that traditional classrooms are more beneficial to the learner. 

A difference that exists between the traditional and online classes is that the traditional settings require an exact geographical location so as to implement the learning process.  Students in the traditional class settings are like fish that cannot exist without water or a sea. Having a central learning environment is imperative because it ensures that the learners interact physically with their instructors. Online classes, on the other hand, do not require a physical geographical location for the learning process to take place.  However, the learners can meet in a conference that must be scheduled for several days for the learners to get full advantage of the sessions. The meeting is usually held in a central location where the students can meet via the internet (Burk, 2007).  

It can be argued that the use of a central geographical location where students meet is beneficial in promoting efficient learning as opposed to meeting via the internet. When learners interact physically with their instructors the engagement level promotes easy understanding, it also provides a platform for asking several questions and getting immediate response and the opportunity to learn through approaches such as group work. Online learning, on the other hand, is not effective because it does not provide the above opportunities. 

Difference between traditional and online learning 

Another difference that emerges from the two approaches is the time factor. The traditional learning approach offers students plenty of time to learn and interact with other learners and their instructors. Online classes, on the other hand, have limited time. For instance, online conferences must be planned correctly. They have to be scheduled for several days. Furthermore, the conference sessions are usually ‘’ time sliced’’ meaning that students do not attend each session every day. In essence, online classes can be likened to Santa Claus who comes with a big bag because he only who appears once a year. Students undertaking online classes have to be ready to collect plenty of information due to the limited learning time offered to them. 

Online classes provide flexible learning schedules, due to the fact that a student can be working and later they would attend the class. Nevertheless, the ease provided can result in lack of commitment on the part of the learner. For instance, one may be too busy to attend the class or to work on the assignments. One can argue, therefore, that the flexibility offered by online learning is like visiting a dentist without a toothache, yet the tooth is perfectly healthy. In most cases, visits to the dentist are made when a tooth hurts. It is apparent that online learners can mostly be devoted to their studies when an exam is on the way. Traditional online classes, on the other hand, promote commitment on the part of the learner and the instructor because they have to be physically present in the class as outlined by the school program.  

Educational system in traditional and online classes

  A similarity that emerges between the two learning approaches is that the testing method and the teaching materials used are similar. In both settings, the student studies the same books that are related to the content outlined in the curriculum.  When it comes to taking the tests both approaches of learning are subjected to similar tests, for instance, the online calls takes the same test via the internet. Also, the timeline set for the examination is similar to the traditional classroom set up.  Despite the similarity, it can be stated that the traditional classes provide a better platform for using learning materials. For example, a student can ask questions and get clarification from the instructor. Furthermore, during the exams, a traditional class offers an opportunity for the learner to make an inquiry in case there is a problem. In the case of online learning, the student struggles to read the material alone and accessing the instructor can be difficult. Also, taking an exam via the Internet is like driving a car on a highway while the breaks are not working. It is hard to reverse or control the vehicle. This also happens when doing an online exam, there is no one to ask in case of a problem arises and once you make a mistake, you cannot go back and correct it, result is a failure. 

In conclusion, this paper argues that the traditional classes are more beneficial to learners. Although the digital age has promoted the adoption of online classes, it is evident that the traditional learning system is here to stay like the capitol building where almost all the United States presidents were inaugurated. 

References

Burk, E. (2007).  The Online Class: ‘What Works’. Online Class: What Works.