Technology has taken such a leap lately that it has now brought the classroom to your home. Online learning is the best thing that could happen in the 21st century. It has been helping learners all around the globe to continue their educational journey during the Covid-19 phase.

Despite being accepted and appraised widely, some people still prefer traditional classroom learning to online learning. They believe that online learning is a hindrance to the originality and functionality of the educational system. So, this raises a doubt in some of our minds – “Is Online Learning Better Than Classroom Learning?”

To find the answer to the above question, we have to compare online and traditional education. So, let us find out the pros and cons of online learning r e-learning compared to traditional learning.

Online Learning Pros and Cons

Advantages of Online Learning

1. Online learning is way more flexible than traditional learning in terms of time and place. M-learning has made it possible for students to learn at anytime from anywhere in the world. This helps the students to make better use of their time and schedule to learn more in a short period. This is not possible with traditional learning due to the constrain of limited space and time.
2. Online learning provides endless subjects to choose from. There are many sites and learning apps where you can find online courses in different subjects. Also, you will not only find academic but many professional courses online. Besides, one category may have more than one sub-category. This helps you to gain knowledge in a particular topic of a subject. But this is not the case with traditional learning. In a traditional classroom, you may not have options to learn a wide range of subjects.
3. E-learning helps you to be more technologically advanced. This is extremely important in this digital age. Prolonged uses of e-learning tools help the learners to be ready for the future when they might have to deal with more complex tools in their career. On the other hand, classroom learning leaves students with very little scope of using many digital tools.
4. Many teachers and parents have one question on their minds. Is online learning effective enough to prepare students for a future with a bright career? One important aspect of e-learning is – it enables remote learning in variable ways. In some cases, one instructor teaches several through one platform. Also, there are options for students to download study tools in the form of audio, video, or text forms to learn those at their own pace. Besides, there can be a learning session between just an instructor and a learner. So, a learner can find the best learning method that suits him the best.
5. E-learning makes the learning sessions interesting with the best usage of technology. Besides, forums, video lessons, chats, etc. keep the students more engaged. But, with the traditional classroom, teachers rely on conventional methods to teach students.
6. Many learners tend to feel shy or intimidated in traditional classrooms or face-to-face learning. So, these may not be comfortable or easy for many learners. But online learning makes these types of learners comfortable and brings out the best in them.
7. Many students find it hard to bear the college expenses of universities or institutes. Online learning gives them many options to choose the courses that suit their budget.

Disadvantages of Online Learning

1. One of the main disadvantages of online learning is the virtual presence. Many students find it to be exciting to go to colleges or schools and meet friends and teachers physically. They find sitting before the computer in their pajamas to learn lessons to be less exciting than real classroom learning.
2. Online learning is self-paced learning where the learner needs to remain self-motivated. So, unless a student is serious about his academic scores or career, it will not be fruitful for him or her. On the contrary, due to less independence in traditional learning, a student feels the pressure to learn and improve his score.
3. It is not possible to learn all types of courses online. Courses like music, art, medical, and engineering might be easier to learn in a face-to-face classroom. Besides, it becomes a challenge to pursue higher studies online due to the in-depth nature of the subjects involved.
4. When we are discussing traditional school vs online school, we must not forget about disciplines and routine. Traditional classroom learning enables a person to follow a structured learning routine. Also, a traditional classroom requires the learners to meet the deadlines. Thus, it is easier to establish disciplines in a face-to-face environment.
5. E-learning depends on the reliable internet and other digital devices. So, the learners without these facilities will not be able to attend a virtual classroom. But traditional classrooms do not have this type of inconvenience.
6. Many students and teachers prefer physical interactions to virtual learning. Human interactions are more demanding than virtual ones since it leaves scope for students to go to the teachers directly after a session.

Conclusion

If we look at the points discussed above, we will find that both online and traditional classrooms have their benefits and drawbacks. But, if we focus on the demands of the current age, we will be able to understand the real importance of online learning. As we proceed with the advancement of science and technology, we have to accept e-learning as a part of our lives. Besides, the ongoing pandemic has proved the necessity of online school.

Last but not the least, online learning is the best way to derive the benefits of long-term education in any unfavorable situation faced by any nation at any time. So, in the war of online learning vs classroom learning, online learning is more promising and fruitful.