Did you know that online learning has a history of over two decades and that the Coronavirus pandemic only accelerated its pace? In today’s active comparison of online and traditional learning, some believe that distance learning is innovative and highly productive, while others favor traditional teaching, regarding traditional methods as more effective in terms of academic achievement. This paper argues that the effectiveness of both distance and traditional learning, given their equal pros and cons, is highly individual and relies on the student’s interests, priorities, and general lifestyle.
One of the most critical factors necessary for academic progress is the number of educational assignments and, most importantly, their quality. Traditional and online teaching requires a large number of tasks to be completed, provide analysis of student work, write appropriate assessments, and require clever time allocation to meet deadlines. However, one should note that completing assignments under traditional and online learning is very different given that more self-control and self-discipline are required from the students’ side in online than is under traditional education. One should also emphasize that while it takes longer to receive feedback under distance learning, it is more effective as the physical distance from educators increases the self-confidence of students to demand a detailed analysis of their work. As for the quality of assignments, they are similar to online and traditional learning, considering that the evaluation system, criteria, expectations, skills, and knowledge necessary for completing studies are nearly identical in both types of education. Equally solid and essential are the challenges encountered in completing classes, courses, projects, and simple daily tasks, and the rewards received by students for overcoming the latter. In addition to the significance and nature of the assignments, their large presence in each type of educational setting under consideration should be highlighted.
The educational environment is a crucial factor for students’ academic success and professional development and, at the same time, one of the most visible distinguishing features between distance and traditional education. The online learning environment is very comfortable as it allows students to attend classes or lectures from a convenient environment and, at the same time, will enable them to choose synchronous and non-synchronous courses. The latter plays a vital role for students employed or engaged in extracurricular activities, which are already able to redistribute day-to-day responsibilities and duties according to their convenient times. With this methodology, attending lectures and classes virtually solves the non-attendance problem. The pupil or student can view the material prepared and recorded in advance by professors and teachers at any time and place. Furthermore, online classes allow less open, shy students to be equally active with the rest of their classmates, which is less likely in traditional styles given the existence of some outstandingly active or loud students. On the other hand, the traditional education environment is much more effective for maintaining students’ discipline and increasing their focus, for actively engaging in discussions, and thus enhancing mental activity. In traditional classrooms, teachers have access to a wider variety of classroom activities, including group projects and presentations, short tests, exchange of views on information covered, active questioning by students, and much more. All of this has a positive effect on students’ understanding and mastery of the class material and their level of involvement in classroom activities.
Both types of education discussed in the paper have a noticeable individual effect on students’ social connections and networking. Distance learning has facilitated student-student and student-professor relationships, reducing the presence of emotions such as nervousness, shyness, and timidity in these relationships, which have proved particularly beneficial for less self-confident or just introverted people. For many, studying online turned out more enjoyable as it opened the door for them to communicate with others when characteristics such as appearance, social status, nationality, or academic achievement are not as influential. Nevertheless, many such relationships and partnerships are only superficial in nature. By contrast, collaborations initiated in a traditional learning environment, where people meet, work, solve problems and achieve goals together, lead to the true rapprochement and creation of stronger and healthier bonds between them. In addition, being in a real classroom or auditorium enhances students’ sense of responsibility, while attending class from their bedroom and often even from bed, making it challenging to mobilize similarly. While facing real people in real life under traditional learning, each individual is motivated to express themselves remarkably well, contributing to their mental readiness, more observant work, and even physical health and good looks.
In conclusion, both distance learning and traditional learning have their advantages and disadvantages, and the human experience in both of them is often individual. Distance learning is convenient and flexible against students’ constantly busy schedules and simplifies communication between people. The traditional learning environment facilitates more in-depth processing of material, builds solid social connections, provides a long list of classroom activities, and strengthens a person’s motivation to create and present the best version of themselves. Accordingly, it is useful to look at the discussed topic from multiple viewpoints.
