E-Learning V/S Classroom Learning

Times have changed and with time teaching and learning methodologies have also taken a drastic shift. Traditionally learning was restricted to classroom learning, and was strictly limited to time and a schedule. But as E-Learning came into existence teaching and learning possibilities started overcoming the barriers of traditional learning methods and started developing a universal method that was able to cope with the student’s pace of understanding. In this article we are going to talk about the factors that differentiate E learning from classroom learning.

The Below Image Highlights The Factors That Differentiate E-Learning From Classroom Learning

The major factors that differentiate between E-learning and classroom learning are independence of time, free access to topics, monitory factor, round the clock assistance, and easily comprehendible.  

Below mentioned is a list of differences that distinguish online learning v/s classroom learning (Amaral, & Leal, 2006)

·         Independence Of Learning- Previously classroom learning was time bound. Every lecture session had a schedule because of which if students wanted to clear their doubts they had to wait for hour’s sometimes even weeks until they attend the next session of the lecture. Technology has advanced and with the advancement of technology E- Learning came into existence. The best part about this kind of learning is that now students do not need to wait for weeks and days and hours to get the solution to their academic problems. They can get in touch with experts at a click of a mouse whenever they feel stuck.

·         Free Access To Topics-  The only source of information in classroom learning were professors and books. The difficult part was that not everyone had access to all the information available in books. And there were situations when they did not get any assistance from professors because of lack of teachers and shortage of time. The entire scenario changed with the invention of internet as E- Learning came into being. With the help of internet students are now able to access information absolutely free on the web and extract relevant information from reliable sources that will come useful during assignment writing.Also students don’t need to limit themselves to the topics provided by the universities. The internet provides them with numerous other alternatives of topic from which they can choose.

·         Monitory Factor- Classroom learning is far more expensive than E-learning mainly because there are infrastructural costs included. Apart from infrastructure the study material provided to students also involves a good amount of money that students can ill afford. This has resulted many students to step back from their dream of perusing education. This is where E-learning on the other hand has gained immense popularity. In case of E-learning there are no infrastructural costs included. The study material used to teach in online classes is available on the internet free of cost or incurs a nominal charge that turns out to be pocket friendly for students. (Rosenberg ,et.al,2002) Students in UK can also seek essay help Singapore from SourceEssay where they would be able to get customized assignment help from certified professionals.

·         Round The Clock Assistance-  Traditionally students had to cope with the pace of teaching because of which slow learners who could not keep pace had no other option but to drop out of the course. But with E-learning students can afford to modulate the pace of learning as per their convenience. Classroom learning also gave limited assistance to students because the learning sessions were time bound. But with E learning students get round the clock assistance from experts sitting in their comfort zones at the click of a mouse. 

·         Easily Comprehendible-  With the availability of online experts who assist students to participate in E-learning,  learning has become easy. Students can now easily comprehend whatever they are learning precisely because there is lesser use of jargons in online learning then there are in classroom learning. And In some cases online learning materials contain glossary that mentions a list of lesser known words and there meaning that have been used in the assignment. Whereas in class room learning students need to prepare their glossary themselves and in case they get stuck they can refer to books available to them.  (Zhang,et.al 2004)

Conclusion

To conclude classroom learning is different from E- Learning in the following ways- Firstly, classroom learning was time bound and E- Learning is no restricted to time anymore. Secondly, In case of classroom learning there is limited access to information whereas E-Learning provides students with unlimited free access. Thirdly, Students can avail round the clock assistance while learning online which is not possible in case of classroom learning. Fourthly, class room learning is expensive whereas E-learning is cost effective and finally E-learning makes learning comprehendible whereas in most cases students find difficulties in classroom learning.

References- 

Rosenberg, M. J., & Foshay, R. (2002). E‐learning: Strategies for delivering knowledge in the digital age. Performance Improvement, 41(5), 50-51.

Zhang, D., Zhao, J. L., Zhou, L., & Nunamaker Jr, J. F. (2004). Can e-learning replace classroom learning?. Communications of the ACM, 47(5), 75-79.

Amaral, L., & Leal, D. (2006). From classroom teaching to e-learning: the way for a strong definition.