Onsite and Online Education, Essay Example

With the development of the internet, technology and education has changed greatly in order to adapt.  The research methods that are available as well as the type of education and the delivery method by which this education is being offered have also changed.  A recent television commercial from Kaplan University pits a fictional professor in front of an online viewership and a full classroom discussing the failures of higher education.  The actor playing the professor appropriately states that it is time for the education to adapt to the student instead of the student adapting to the education.  For this reasoning, the development of internet-based education has become a popular trend in higher education and it appears that even more traditional schools are taking this liberal idea of an online education and involving it into the core curriculum.  Nevertheless, the two main types of education, both traditional and online, have pros and cons and each is beneficial to a specific type of student.

First of all, the traditional education provides a student with a classroom environment that is available for a class of students to sit in front of a professor and receive a lecture.  This environment has adapted somewhat to engage students in more discussion-based lectures, but overall the general concept of the traditional classroom has remained.  In this setting, the professor is the expert on a particular subject matter and the students are sitting in class to partake of the knowledge that is able to be bestowed upon them by the great, illustrious professor.  Within this environment, students are able to take notes and are often required to be in attendance in order to receive attendance points or to even pass the class.  Professors often demand that students have read in the textbooks or performed the homework in between class sessions.  This is critical for the class to be able to cover new information in the class instead of focusing on content that should have already been learned.  Most of the classes range anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours in length depending on the availability of class and the days of the week that it is being offered.  The onsite environment allows professors to write notes on the chalkboard or dry erase board as well as showing a power point or video with the students.  This alternative delivery method has grown to utilize technology in the classroom to ensure that students are receiving the most knowledge possible in a given class period or term.

The online classroom setting has been designed to effectively emulate the traditional environment.  For instance, many professors require online discussion posts to a forum thread as an example of participation for the week.  There are also online quizzes and tests that are typically multiple choice or true and false that help provide immediately feedback to the student whether the information provided was correct or incorrect.  This method also provides more freedom on the professor to be able to concentrate on reading and responding to threaded discussions as well as grading papers or written exams.  One key benefit for online education is that is can be accomplished anywhere and usually at any time.  Most schools have attendance requirements where students must log in to the course for a specific amount of time or number of times each week.  Furthermore, many schools provide textbooks to students through an electronic format called an e-book as opposed to students purchasing large, and often very expensive, textbooks.

Clearly there are many similarities between these two educational delivery formats.  First of all, the professor is still considered the expert on the topic and remains available to students in either format to contact for questions and further comments on anything discussed in the course.  Students still continue to utilize textbooks even though the available format of the text is slightly different.  Textbooks are critical for learning to be conducive so that students can learn from a source other than the professor’s lectures.  Within both delivery formats, students are often required to attend and participate.  Much of the learning within a class involves discussion and allows students to use critical thinking skills as a group to solve a problem or gain clarity on a specific topic.  Overall, the main goal for education is to utilize the tools that are available to provide students with necessary information to enrich their lives and prepare them for a strong career.  This goal is successfully maintained within both delivery styles.

Although there are many similarities, there are specific differences that separate each delivery style.  For instance, the online delivery format never requires students to be present in class with a large group of students.  Much of the learning is performed in a single, one person environment in the comfort of the student’s own home; whereas, traditional learning often includes a learning environment with ten or more individuals.  Furthermore, many professors are able to include power points to both online and traditional classes; however, the professor is able to expound on the slides with traditional learning.  Professors may include slide notes for the power point presentations online, but these are not always successful methods of learning because there is no true presentation.  In an online format, students are able to log in and complete course work whenever it is convenient for them; whereas, students in a traditional environment are required to attend courses only at a specific time or contact professors during restricted office hours.  Finally, online education teaches students to utilize technology and internet resources more than the average traditional education.  These are often skills that future employers are looking for out of college graduates and it provides students with the ability to be resourceful.

While each delivery method has strengths and weaknesses, it is clear that the educational format is designed for a specific type of student.  Online education is often for students that are busier and need flexibility in time management.  This may also be an excellent resource for students who are intimidated by large classrooms or speaking in front of other people.  On the other hand, traditional learning provides students with more structure and forces them to manage their time effectively without flexibility.  Nevertheless, higher education provides students with an environment to increase their topic knowledge and skills in order to potentially improve their ability to become a successful working adult.