A lot has been said about evaluating web-based classes in recent years.
In most academic circles, the overwhelming consensus has always been whether these online classes and those conducted via the internet (elearningclasses.com) perform alike when it comes to student satisfaction and success. However, there is a new trend emerging in E-Learning that has created a very interesting and important paradigm shift in this area: the increasing preference for online classes rather than in-person ones.
It should be noted first of all that both classroom and web-based eLearning have their advantages. With respect to cost, the former is obviously cheaper. This is due to the fact that the cost of maintaining and paying employees for classroom space and staff salaries are not the case. Also, students often do not require being present in the classroom to achieve their objectives and the classroom only needs to be cleaned up once or twice a week. And students also benefit by being able to learn and practice at their own pace, so long as they are comfortable enough to do so.
But eLearning is also a lot more convenient because the student does not have to worry about the classroom, which would otherwise have to accommodate the costs of purchasing and delivering course materials needed for completing the class. The cost of the course materials, in contrast to the expense of buying a classroom is also much lower. So, while eLearning courses may offer the convenience of online learning, they do also incur the costs of delivery and maintenance.
The drawbacks of web-based courses also have their downside. As previously mentioned, students usually do not need to physically visit the classroom to learn and practice. This means that the classroom is no longer a venue where students feel comfortable enough to ask questions, have discussion, and interact. Because of this, it’s not surprising that most online courses are still lacking a very basic element that could make them more appealing to students. This is the personal interaction with the instructor.
In a classroom setting, students interact with one another because they are there face-to-face. On the other hand, with online eLearning, they can simply click on the links and watch video and listen to audio or even participate in online discussions, but that doesn’t really mean that they can ask any questions or ask the teacher directly. These days, students may feel a lot more confident in talking with their instructors, especially if they know that they can get an immediate response from the instructor. So even though this kind of interaction is very beneficial, some online classes have gone missing on this front.
Another drawback is that the instructor usually doesn’t have the time to spend on answering all the students’ questions and clarifying course material. If the teacher is not an experienced professional, he or she may miss important aspects of the course material.
Some online courses also do not have a lot of resources, so the teaching methods may be too different and the course content may be difficult to grasp, especially for new learners. This is not the case with classroom-based eLearning as there are instructors who are experts in their field and may offer advice and suggestions. In addition, some online courses offer courses that cover a wide variety of topics so the instructor may be able to address all the learner’s questions at one go.
Overall, it can be said that the debate between classroom-based eLearning and online-based eLearning continues to be an ongoing one. Despite these shortcomings, it is undeniable that eLearning is here to stay and will likely continue to evolve in the coming years. Whether you would like to learn more about this form of education or not, it is clear that you must first learn how and what eLearning is all about.
