Traditional Classrooms vs Online Classrooms: Which One is Right for You?

Carol works a full time job supporting herself and her two children; she is a single mother and a very hard worker. However, working a dead end job can be tiring and she longs for a more satisfying position. Something she and her children can be proud of. In the past, a person in a situation such as this would have to cut their work hours in half and attend a traditional college for day, evening, or night classes in order to earn a degree. In recent years there has been an influx of students taking undergraduate and graduate classes from either their home or office online. Both of these options can result in gaining a college education. It is just a matter of weighing the pros and cons of a traditional classroom education as opposed to an online one.

In a traditional classroom setting class work gets done on the professor's time-line; the professor starts class not a minute late. So the students must be prepared the second they walk into the classroom; paper and pen in hand and ready to take notes. A traditional classroom setting cannot be weighed down by students who need the professor to slow the lecture down in order to take notes take word for word. In an online classroom setting the work gets done in a manner falling into the professor's time-line, but into a time frame that also fits an employed student's schedule as well. Lectures are typed out by the professor and placed onto the classe's specific web page for easy reference, and notes can be taken at the student's pace. This can allow for the student to benefit more from the information given and not be burdened with slowing down a classroom full of their fellow eager students.

Homework assignments in the two class settings are approached in much of the same way. In a traditional classroom the professor gives a lecture, either spoken or written, and an assignment is given to complete outside the classroom. Traditional classroom homework assignments are separate from anything assigned to be completed in class. Homework must be taken home and completed on the students own time. This lengthens the amount of time during the day that a student must continuously work on school work, and it shortens the amount of time students may have to maintain a job or take care of their children. In an online setting, homework and class work are one in the same since all of the assignments given are completed on the students own time. This reduces the total time a student spends completing school assignments and frees up time for employment or family related activities.

Social benefits in an online classroom however, are lacking. Interaction with other students in the class is based solely on class conference postings and responses or individual emails. Actual face to face conversations may never happen. Group projects become a struggle to complete when a member of the group will not respond to an email or submit his/her work in a timely manner. Work ethic is extremely hard to monitor when all interaction takes place over the World Wide Web. In a traditional classroom however, students can work together on a daily basis. They can arrange meetings before and after school to work on any group assignments and monitor each other's progress during the entire process. Working with other people in a face to face environment is also an important part of personal and professional development. Leadership and people skills cannot be learned in an online environment. Traditional classrooms provide the forum possible to acquire these essential life skills.

Another benefit of traditional classroom schooling is that it aids in the communication between student and professor. Professors may make eye contact with the students to assess their understanding. They can also question the students on class material, lectures, and ask how they viewed the reading assignments. In an online setting, communication between student and professor are done in much of the same fashion as student to student contact it is done either via email or class conference. If a student has a question to ask the professor a response may not be given for some time depending on how busy the professor is, possibly even a few days. In addition, the answer given may not be exactly what the student was looking for. Communication misunderstandings are very prevalent in an online education environment. Clearly written and worded questions are of great importance when emailing professors for help. Whereas in a traditional classroom setting the student may speak to the professor directly and clarify everything they do not understand at that time. Misunderstandings do not occur as easily in a traditional classroom setting, expediting the time that things get done.

Weighing these advantages and disadvantages are of the essence when deciding which forum is correct for which situation. A full time student whose parents are paying for college or a student who is attending school on a scholarship while living at home may choose a traditional classroom environment for their college education. They have the means and time necessary for this type of setting to be beneficial. On the other hand, students who support themselves, who put themselves through college with loans, or who work hard to pay their tuition and take care of their children may be forced to consider another route. This is the group of people most benefitted by the recent availability of the online classroom. With all these things in mind a person can make an educated decision on their education.