Face to Face and Internet Distance learning both have their own pros and cons.
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To properly decide which option is the best one for you, you first have to know what each option actually entails.
Face-to-face
This option means you’re physically attending/ present in classes at a particular location. It’s the more traditional route to education and learning. You actually get to see and interact with the lecturer, and often, other classmates too.
Distance learning
This option means you aren’t physically present in classes. You’re studying on your own and at your own pace. Naturally, this one will require more self-discipline.
Distance learning is quite broad in that there are different ways in which one can complete one’s studies when opting for this learning method. It would be useful, at this point, to take a look at the different options available to one when one chooses to follow this route of learning. Below is a brief breakdown on some of the ways in which one can complete their studies through distance learning.
- Online Learning: Students complete their studies on the internet, where they have 24/7 access to their studies via a web browser, what is offered would be dependent on what the specific institution is providing.
- Part time Learning: This is where students combine face to face and distance learning together by attending classes in the evening or weekends while still completing studies out off campus
- Blended Learning: This combines face to face learning with internet browser learning
- Self Study: This is when students complete studies solely on their own without the support of a tuition provider.
| Face to Face | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Verbal and nonverbal | Virtual through videos and chat forums, downloads and uploads |
| Learning Materials | Real time access to Textbooks and lecture notes | Textbooks, Ebooks, Lecture notes available 24/7 |
| Additional Costs | Fuel, parking (accommodation at times) | Hardware and software, upgrades |
| Process of Learning | Real Time and specific time frames for discussions | Virtual any time |
| Feedback and Interaction | Immediate through visual and verbal models, but time constrained | Anytime but conducive to Lecturers availability, usually a 24hr turn around time |
Both Online and Face-to-Face learning are suitable ways of studying, but the way in which people decide to complete their studies is more dependent on their personal views and personalities. For example, some people prefer the good ol’ way of having their textbooks and making notes, whereas others may prefer to have all their notes and study materials accessible on the internet via web browser and then there are those who prefer to have the best of both.
Referring to the table at the beginning of the blog, below is a more detailed table for the pros and cons of studying through Online or Face-to-Face learning. Here we can compare which type of learning would better suit you. These would 0f course differ for each person based on their preferences.
- Online Learning Pros and Cons
Online Learning Cons Online Learning Pros Communication Verbal: Lecture videos can use up a lot of data if they are quite large Verbal: Lecture videos can be viewed as many times as a person would like. They can be paused, fast forwarded etc. You don’t have to worry about missing any important information. Non Verbal: Lecture notes may require a lot of reading and this can be time consuming. Non Verbal: Notes can be printed and viewed at any time and place. Students can also add to their own notes for study purposes. Human interaction: This is virtual and for those who prefer the face-to- face interaction could find this to be unsatisfactory. Human interaction: This is virtual and done through a type of forum or chat service. It’s nice for those who tend to be shy but still prefer to be heard and have questions. Learning Materials Study Materials: These can be in the form of E-books and videos. It could end up using quite a bit of data. Study Materials: These can be in form of E-books and videos. They can be accessed 24/7 anytime and at any place. Students don’t have to carry textbooks and notes with them to lectures or classes. Cost Additional costs may apply if you need to purchase hardware and software for your course. Short courses are more accessible and can also be more affordable than completing a full study programme you may not need to do. Most of the time study material will be available in any web browser so you wouldn’t necessarily have to add in the extra cost of textbooks. Access to internet libraries, saves in traveling costs and fees for lending books One could save on travel and accommodation costs The amount of time needed to travel to class would be eliminated Timing Having the freedom to study at your own time takes dedication and commitment. If you aren’t very committed or motivated, you could end up failing your course. By having everything you need accessible to you in a web browser, you can juggle both work and studies together. Allocating your lunch break to your studies is one start. SACOB also checks in with you throughout your studies. It’s human to get caught up at work or in your personal life, we’re here to check in and help any way we can.
You can use your holiday time and any other free or spare time you may have. If you are ahead of schedule you can start with your revision sooner or spend that extra time on your assignments you may have. Feedback and Interaction This is virtual and can sometimes be confusing or not to the point and becomes misleading Most internet based courses have quiz exams and tests which gives you your results then and there Depending on your tuition provider, turnaround times for responding to queries or assignments may vary and one needs to wait for a response. One can ask as many questions as they like relevant to their studies. SACOB also has a turnaround time of 24 hours.
There is no real human interaction Depending on your tuition provider, assignments are uploaded and marked by your lecturer and then given back to you in the form of a download. You don’t have to worry about collecting it from a venue or class. One can also chat with their peers and lecturers through various means such as a student portal or a live chat that would be available in your internet based learning website. This would also vary depending on your tuition provider - Face to Face Learning Pros and Cons
Face to Face Cons Face to Face Pros Communication Lecturers speak to a class full of students and only have a certain amount of time to get through certain areas Notes are given in class and additional notes can also be jotted down and compared with your classmates. You can always go back to modules or work that you’ve already covered. You control your pace.
Questions are asked but not every student gets to ask their question Sharing of information with classmates is more efficient If you have further questions you might have to book a time with your lecturer to ask all those questions Questions are answered in real time so no waiting for a lecturer to get back to you Learning Materials Textbooks tend to weigh a lot and one needs to carry around the required textbooks for their class or their laptop or gadget to have their E-book version on etc One can make direct notes in their textbook or on their note/writing pad if study materials are forgotten somewhere you can’t refer to it in your lecture and would need to share another person’s book Text books can be used to mark specific pages and highlight important paragraphs Textbooks can often be costly Lecture notes are given in class most of the time and additional notes and points can be made on these directly Cost Fees would vary vastly depending on what type of tuition provider you are choosing and the type of studies you are completing, these can sometimes be very expensive One would maybe feel that by attending class and having a physical lecturer they are getting what they expect from their monies worth Most study materials are excluded and would need to be purchased additionally, this can also become quite expensive Additional costs like parking and petrol would also need to be considered. Timing Classes would be at set times if you are unable to attend you would then miss out on the specific lecture You don’t need to create your own schedule as you know when your classes are and to be there on time. Various factors may cause you to be late for a class This may assist one in better planning and scheduling of their time One cannot simply just pick up from where they left off unless they go through the modules themselves with no lecture help Class times vary and these can range from early morning to late in the evening and may not fit into your work schedule if you are currently working or have a family Feedback and Interaction Waiting to receive feedback from class test and exams may take quite long as there are many physical papers that need to be marked Assignments are handed in by hand so you have the security of knowing your assignment has been received by your lecturer The amount of questions that can be asked to a lecturer is minimal and not everyone has the opportunity to ask their questions You can check on the progress of the marking of your assignments with your lecturer at any time Any questions are answered in class time meaning you have your answer straight away
The below quote relates to any form of Face to Face and Distance Learning, so no matter how we go about it at the end of the day we still need to ensure we focus and make the most of what we learn.
“Students do not learn much just sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.” Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann