Show By Pat Bowden, published May 30, 2017. Most of us are familiar with classroom learning from our schooldays but online learning is a new field. There are several differences between online and classroom or on-campus learning. Online Learning Advantages:
Online Learning Disadvantages:
Classroom Learning Advantages:
Classroom Learning Disadvantages:
How to Overcome the Disadvantages of Online LearningBecause humans are social creatures who generally love company, the solitary experience of online learning can be a major hurdle for some students. It can be lonely unless you have a friend who is taking the course with you. Many courses attempt to address this by encouraging discussions in course forums which can be general discussion forums where students can introduce themselves, as well as focused discussions on particular aspects of the course. Posting your comments and thoughts to the forums can be helpful to overcome these feelings of isolation, particularly in courses that use community mentors or teaching assistants to respond to student posts. In some courses, participation in discussions is sluggish. To stimulate some online social interaction, write plenty of comments in the student discussion forums. Fellow students are more likely to engage with you if you have comments in several threads. You may need to be patient, though, because it may take days for replies to be posted. Do you live in a large city? You may be able to join or start up a community meetup or hangout. Always keep personal safety in mind while meeting internet acquaintances. Another option is to create your own support network amongst your family members and friends. Even if they aren’t studying with you, you may be able to talk about your study ups and downs. Every little bit of support can help! If you are having trouble understanding something, have you listened to the videos more than once? Have you taken a break, perhaps left it until the next day to look at the material again. Sometimes when we look at it after a break, the meaning suddenly becomes clear. Is the meaning still eluding you? You can post your questions to the course forums, but sometimes it can take hours or days for an answer. Sometimes your question simply remains unanswered, so you may need a different strategy. Have you checked all of the course resources? Many courses have lists of supplementary materials. Books or research articles may be able to be ordered through your local library. Type your question into your favourite search engine. Read the results but be aware that not all internet posts are reliable, even Wikipedia. They can be used as a starting point, though, and cross checking your research with the course materials can help sort the wheat from the chaff. Google Scholar can be a useful source of reliable research papers. Most of the above comments about online learning refer to MOOCs. If you are enrolled in a paid online subject as part of a small class, you should have online access to course staff who can answer your individual queries in online chat form or perhaps via Skype or similar. The very nature of MOOCs means that direct interaction between instructor and individual students is virtually non-existent. The only exception is if the instructor participates in the course discussion forums. A Final ThoughtAs a student, make the most of all your course resources and the flexibility of MOOCs. Use every spare moment to look at your course and keep your motivation level high. When it comes to training new and existing employees, the majority of businesses either have the option to provide online or classroom based training. Here we will explain the pros and cons of each method to help you decide on the best way to deliver training to your employees. Online training ProsOnline training gives employees the chance to learn at their own pace. Online training allows for long-distance learning. This means that employees can carry out the training on their PC at home or work and save on the time and costs associated with travelling to a training centre. Not only is it a cost effective and convenient option, but also beneficial in terms of allowing employees to progress at their own speeds. Employees that are quick learners will not have to wait for others to catch up or go over material they have already learnt. Another benefit of online training is that it can lead to increased productivity. Employees may be able to complete some of their training at home or off-site so they can be more productive with their time in the work place. Online training is also very easy to update. If there are changes in your industry, such as new regulations your employees need to know about, you can simply make changes to the training software from one location and roll it out nationwide. Online training ConsOne of the downsides of online training is that it requires the use of technology that older employees may not be familiar with. If they have never used online training software before, they may find it hard to grasp. Another downside is that although employees can work collaboratively using some online training programs, they still lack the interactivity and communication of a classroom setting. Classroom training ProsClassroom based training is great for getting your employees working together and sharing ideas. Classroom learning environments provide the important ‘human touch’ that is often missing from online training. Learning in a classroom-type setting will allow employees to work together, share ideas and learn from each other, as well as from their trainer. Another benefit of classroom training is that it teaches employees to work together in a cooperative way, which is essential in the workplace. It will also provide new staff with the opportunity to get to know each other, which will make them feel more comfortable in the work place. Classroom training ConsOne of the negatives associated with classroom based training delivery is that not everyone is comfortable learning in this environment. Some people may feel that they are too shy to ask questions and express uncertainty in front of their peers. Classroom training can also be a time consuming process. It’s important to remember that not everyone learns at the same speed, so this could either be particularly frustrating for fast learners who are being held back or hard for slower learners trying to keep up. In terms of costs, classroom-based training is more expensive than online alternatives. Not only do you have to pay the trainer, but also hire out a training room and pay the travel expenses of your staff. The training will also have to take place during work hours, which will impact your productivity levels. A final issue with classroom based training delivery is that if changes need to be made to the learning materials, it can be extremely time consuming and costly. As well as re-training the trainer, you will also need to re-write and re-print all of your course materials. ConclusionHopefully our list of pros and cons for both online and classroom based training delivery has helped you to decide on the best option for your business. As you can see, both have their pros and cons, so there will always be a little compromise in your decision. What is worth noting is that many businesses are now choosing blended learning as their form of training delivery. This involves blending traditional classroom learning with online training software to provide a solution that meets the needs of all employees. For more information contact us at The HR Booth on 01383 668178 or email us at |