Online vs. Traditional Education - Research Paper Example

Traditionally, one of the requirements for college education has always been that the students show up physically for the lectures. The learners gather in the lecture halls or classrooms where they meet the tutors and learning take place as they interact. However, development of technology in the recent years has introduced online education which is entirely different from the traditional form of knowledge. Unlike traditional education, the students do not have to go to their respective higher learning institutions, but they just attend their lessons from the comfort of their homes or any other place where they can access the internet and a computer. Nonetheless, despite the advancement in technology and introduction of digital forms of learning, there is a debate between online and traditional types of educations as researchers try to find out which one amongst the two is the most effective for students. For example, whereas pro online education claims that it is the best form of teaching and learning since it is flexible, those who support traditional system assert that it is the best because it offers evening and weekend lessons, hence its flexible nature. Online education is the most effective system since it provides the learners a chance to study during their appropriate time and the tuition fees is relatively low.

Arguments for Online Education

First, online schooling is the best for the current world since the learners are assured of flexibility. Previously, most people who joined higher learning institutions were just fresh from high school, and attending lectures were the only commitment they had at that time. However, times have changed, and today people have many obligations which they must accomplish during the day as much as they want to study and acquire their degrees. For example, many persons are already employed but still want to advance their education so that they can remain competitive in their particular job market. Moreover, some tend to join universities when they already have families and children to take care of, thus the difficulty of focusing on the classroom affairs. Therefore, the flexibility that is offered from online education proves why it is the most effective form of training for such people. Unlike traditional learning programs where the institutions require that the students must attend the lectures physically and at a specified time, online learning is different since it warrants the learner's freedom (Brazina, 2014). Notably, the students can choose the hours when they will engage in their education and the offers them an opportunity to attend to other important matters such as family and work.

Second, the budget is yet another important consideration when choosing a training mode between traditional and online systems, and it is obvious that digital learning is entirely cheap. Whereas it is essential to receive a quality university education, it is recommended that students also save some money for future use, hence the need to consider the most affordable tuition fees. Apart from creating flexibility for the students, online teaching was also introduced to ensure that most people can afford higher learning (Cater, 2012). As previously highlighted, traditional education requires that students sit in class so that they can engage the tutors, and that is the reason why its tuition fees are relatively compared to online learning. For example, attending lessons in class implies that the institution must have seats and tables for each classroom, and the money used to purchase such materials is included in the fees structure. Contrary, online education only depends on the students ability to acquire internet and a computer which is used in providing the subjects details. Furthermore, there are other instances where traditional education requires that students board within the school compound to enable them to attend classes on time. Whereas this is an ideal strategy in ensure timely attendance, it is an expensive initiative as the learners must pay for bed and food, contrary to digital studies where one just receives education from their home. Another lower cost nature of online learning is that the learners are not required to commute to and from their respective educational centers, and that provides them with an opportunity to save money for other initiatives.

Third, discipline and self-motivation are yet other reasons why students should select online studies over the traditional program. While a learner might be competent in all the subjects they are handling at school, they might fail to achieve their learning objectives if they are not self-motivated and disciplined. Nonetheless, the paper has already provided that digital education requires the learners to determine the time when they want to attend the lessons, unlike the traditional form where they must follow the stated schedule (Issa, 2015). Arguably, a student who attends to regular education is lesser disciplined to the one who applies online learning because in the traditional system they have to deal with the tutor's pressure. For example, if the tutor does not call upon the students to attend the lessons, there is a possibility that they will remain at home or in their dorms across the week. Dissimilar to that, online students are self-driven, and that implies that they are motivated to learn and realize success. Arguably, the motivation that is present in online students is the reason why they stand a better chance to excel in studies to traditional learners.

Moreover, access to more learning institutions confirms that online education is more reliable to traditional programs. Most students who apply traditional education tend to study at colleges that are located in their locale. Although that seems convenient for the learners, it has disadvantages since the nearby university might lack competitive subjects or even learning facilities (Keengwe, 2014). Contrary, online students can access institutions from different parts of the world which offer the best courses with competent tutors. For example, a student from South Asia can attend online training with a university which is located in the United States. Initially, the paper highlighted that digital studies only entails internet and a computer, and the interest persons are ready to gain knowledge.

Faster completion of studies is just another principal advantage of online education against the traditional structure. In online learning, it is the student who chooses how they will operate and attend teachings, and that implies that they can consume more knowledge, unlike the traditional learners. If a student decides sets aside more time for online classes across the week, they stand a better chance to graduate sooner compared to traditional programs. Subsequently, the faster completion of the degree programs gives the students an opportunity to enroll again in other certificates.

Lastly, learners are advised to adopt online education because it saves time compared to the traditional system. Time is one of the essential elements in school since it determines the amount of knowledge a person can acquire during a given period. Subsequently, the amount of knowledge gained is vital because it defines the probability of registering the best grade during the examination. In traditional learning, learners are faced with the challenge of having to commute to their respective institutions so that they can meet their lectures. Although some of the students live in the colleges, most of them tend to stay at home, and that means that they must spend at least an hour while commuting to their respective colleges. The time spent in traveling to school by traditional learners is used resourcefully by online students, as they research and complete assignments.

Counter-arguments for Online Education

Online education is not the best for higher learning since it denies the students face to face interaction. Unlike traditional education where the learners can meet their lecturers and engage them on issues which they did not understand in class, online education does not have such advantages. Arguably, face to face interaction is one of the central factors that promote excellence in college education since the learners can raise their issues and receive an immediate solution. However, the disadvantage with digital learning is that the students depend on the internet and this denies them an opportunity to have talks with their tutors.

This argument is not realistic since various online platforms give the learners a chance to interact with their lecturers. First, the primary reason why students require face-to-face interaction with their tutors is that they need clarification concerning particular information that was taught during the lecture. Importantly, face-to-face communication is possible even when using online education since there are various video conferencing software (Mbuva, 2014). Notably, the students are just supposed to set a date with the lectures where they will decide on the appropriate time for video chat, and that equalizes its reliability to traditional study.

Moreover, increased personal responsibility is yet another reason why online education is not recommendable for the students. Education is a sensitive issue, and that is why students must have an ample time when learning. Notably, the learners stand a better chance of registering the best results when they focus on acquiring information while the lecturers offer the guidelines. Moreover, unlike online system, traditional education is advantageous since the learners can follow the timetable which is developed by the administration. However, online learning is discouraged because there is increased responsibility for the learners, and that might alter their morale of gaining knowledge. For example, digital studies require that the students are the ones who determine when the right time for their studies is. Such responsibilities result in poor performance which is rare in the traditional form of education.

Increased personal responsibilities that are created by online education are beneficial and not a disadvantage as the counter-argument states. First, when there is an increased responsibility the student is forced to remain disciplined so that they can achieve success in their education. Notably, the highlighted responsibilities are of benefit to the learner since they provide them with an opportunity to gain additional information about the subject they are covering. Additionally, an increase in tasks implies that the learner is self-motivated as they are the ones who decide when they will attend their respective lectures. Lastly, the other advantage which relates to more personal responsibilities is that students can remain competitive in the job market as they are skilled compared to those who attend traditional forms of education.

Networking challenge is stated as a primary reason why online education is not advisable. Whereas in traditional programs the students attend the lectures physically and listen to their tutors, online training depends on the use of the internet which connects the learner and the teacher. Nonetheless, it is possible to experience slow internet sometimes, and this means that education will not take place. Moreover, there are some regions which do not have stable internet connections, implying that learners from such areas cannot participate in online studies. Contrary, traditional form of learning takes place even when there is no internet connection, since the learners and the lectures meet physically, hence the best option.

The networking argument is not realistic since the advancement of technology has ensured high-speed internet i...