Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?
I disagree that online learning will replace traditional classroom delivery. I do believe that online learning will continue to grow, especially as educators and students become more familiar with and adept at using new technologies. However, I believe (and hope) that there will always be a place and need for traditional classroom delivery. I think that there is room for both and a need for both and that they can work together rather than be opposed to one another.
Joseph,
Yes, the maturity of the learner can make all the difference in the online classroom.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
My experience so far tells me there will always be traditional classrooms. I have seen many students, who perform well in a classroom, fail online because they lack the discipline to do the work on their own.
Daniel,
Times are changing. An online instructional tools, techniques and activities are becoming more and more robust to encompass many more learning styles. While the current format of most online classrooms is primarily text based, more interactive, scenario-based, immersive technology, adaptive learning activities and adaptive learning assessments are being developed to accommodate many more learners'success in the online environment. These are immense changes that are currently underway in the online environment to meet the changing needs of our postsecondary student.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I believe there will always be the traditional classroom, however, due to budget cuts, there will be more classes moving to the internet, especially in high schools. This will prepare students for more internet classes at the college level. In one program that I teach, when a class is offered in the traditional setting, no one signs up for it. However, when the same class is offered online, the maximum enrollment is reached with 24 hours. The typical student is changing and we must meet their needs.
Herbert,
Your observation are in agreement with a number of studies reflecting a strong preference for face-2-face teachers when the time and proximity are convenient enough. The choice of online for the majority (not all) of students is almost always the time/distance logistical convenience/difficulties. Many agree that traditional education will be around for a long while. (Just a thought to ponder - What about PE online? - Could the Wii technology be adjusted to take vitals while monitoring a person's tennis, golf, etc. activity online?) How much further can kinesthetic learning go in the online forum?...
I don't believe it will ever replace the traditional classroom, but feel it will perhaps be as equally a powerful learning environment depending on the person taking the course.
Since joining the school I instruct at, approximately eighty percent of my training has been done by online learning modules. I enjoy the learning experience of online training, but having an actual person in front of you that will almost instantly respond to a question or clarify material as it is presented, is a major draw to classroom learning for me.
Online learning will eventually replace traditional classroom delivery of instruction? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
Hi Tim. I agree. I have actually recommended to students that they attend a face-to-face class because they struggle online. I really feel that you have to have excellent academic skills and need to be very self-directed to be successful online. Tina
I agree. Online learning can be a great supplemental to the traditional classroom. In our institution, we have the traditional face-to-face instruction, the fully online instruction, and a combination of both which we call hybrid. In the hybrid classes, students get the best of both worlds.
I would have to disagree. Although I believe that online learning will continue to grow in popularity and use, I don't think it will ever completely replace traditional classroom delivery. For one thing, there are courses which are impossible to effectively teach in the online environment. Courses in health care or auto mechanics, for example, are better suited to be taught in the face-to-face environment. Maybe in the future and with improved technology, these courses may eventually be effectively taught online.
Second, there are people who cannot learn in the online environment no matter how well the course is developed and how excellent the instructor is. They simply need that face-to-face interaction.
Student relationships with instructors online need to go no further than the online learning course. Just like face-to-face traditional classroom has fine lines formed so does the online learning world too. You want students to learn about the course material so they can gain support and engage on any questions and comments they may be presented in the course. Instructors need to be reminded that they are in a professional environment where they need to conduct themselves professionally in front of students at all times. Instructors are authoritative figure leaders at academic institutions where they are “always on.â€
Earle,
I guess I don't see that being student centered is dependent on online or on-ground. I think you can be equally student centerd online. Both of the online Universities I teach at have policies that focus on students and require prompt constructive responses and feedback to stundents in many activities. In fact, both of these online Universities are more student focused than on-ground institutions that I have been associated with. I guess it is assumed that just because you can have a face to face discussion, it is more student focused. But that is not true. Student focus is not about the medium, it is about the interaction.
Online learning will eventually replace traditional face-to-face classroom delivery of instruction. First off online instruction is more effective because the student has to start their own learning to learn and not rely on the instructor. When instructors come into the classroom and lecture to students on the material student’s retention is low. For example, when a student graduates from high school and goes off to college for four years they are missing four years of work place experience in their lives including workplace promotions. In the future I see students graduating from high school and then starting their online learning bachelors degree while working full time toward accumulating years of experience and promotion. That seems like the most practical means in today's world.
Brian,
I teach math and I had a tendency to agree with you when I first started teaching online 8 years ago. Within the last 3 years, new online s/w packages that really help the students learn the math. These packages interact with the student. When used properly, the students learn the material better and retain it better. So, I think better online tools will enhance the online learning environment.
There are pros and cons to both types of education.
Online education can be convenient in that one can participate in classes at any hour, take college courses simultaneous with a full-time job, and there are no travel expenses.
However, many science and medical courses have vital laboratory components that necessitate the use of a facility with the proper equipment and interaction.
I think that the traditional classroom will always have its place, but it can be complemented by the convenience of online education.
No, I don't think the online environment will ever completely replace traditional classroom. From a learning context, there is something inherently superior to one on one, face to face learning. That being said, I think more and more online tools will be introduced into the traditional classroom making the traditional classroom much more effective. For instance, with math, I am more helpful to students assisting them with h/w than lecturing. There are videos of better lecturers than me available on the web. So, one strategy is for the student to review web lectures at home on their own time and then let me, the instructor, help them with thier h/w during class. This way each student get more personalized assistance from the instructor.
I think that it will change the class deliverance and performance
Hi Scott, in some respects the social interaction is enhanced online and there is a much more equal balance of interactions from everyone rather than a few! I think blended learning provides the best balance! Tina
I hope it does not, as a human being we need a certian amount of face to face interaction, with out it they become detached from each other. If this continues as it is right now, the social structure will continue to decline, to the point of very little human interaction at all. I am truly not a fan of online courses while it makes it easy to aquire some knowledge the overall learning is better on a face to face basis.
