Online Learning vs. Traditional Classroom

Online Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Learning

Wiley Lee Langley

US/101

November 8, 2012

Linda Wright, PhD

Online Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Learning

Traditional classroom learning involves teacher/student interaction in a classroom setting whereas online learning is in a virtual environment. The traditional classroom setting is teacher centered involving textbooks, lectures, note taking, recitation, memorization, and the type of learning involving listening and observation. Online learning does not have a fixed location in which to meet and it involves virtual classroom transmission via the internet or network in the form of software designed to instruct the student. Teacher/student interaction is done in chat room type discussion boards or by email, audio and video conferencing, CDROM, satellite television, or other texts and animations. (Radovic'-Markovic', 2010)

There are many advantages and disadvantages to online learning and traditional classroom learning. Online learning has not been around but about twenty years and many studies have been done to compare the effectiveness of it to traditional classroom learning. As with any type of process or standard, there are many aspects to consider when comparing and contrasting, and in this case, online learning and traditional classroom learning is no different. The following advantages and disadvantages are not a totally comprehensive list but just a few of the views.

A traditional classroom is set up in a way that the focus of the student is on the teacher. This type of traditional learning requires the student and the teacher to be in attendance for class to take place. Each class is typically about an hour long with little socialization for students in attendance. There are rows of desks all of which are facing a blackboard with the teacher at the front of the class. This face-to-face type of instruction typically involves the teacher delivering a lecture on that day’s topic,...