Keep it Old School

Keep it Old School

     "Online [course] offerings in all disciplines are proliferating at a rapid rate" (“Student Performance Online Vs. Onground”).  The traditional classroom setting has, in fact, been found to have a higher achievement rate than that of virtual classrooms.  Three advantages of attending an actual classroom over taking an online class are better teacher-student relations, motivational learning environment, and mind-broadening social interactions with other students.  

Knowing that the professor is there to lend a helpful and caring hand gives students the confidence and support they need to succeed in their studies.  "[O]nline students fared significantly worse on the most complex material" (Brown).  Having an actual face-to-face student-teacher relationship benefits students in many ways.  Some students struggle with the anxiety of having to teach their selves the material when taking an online class.  This anxiety can actually lead them to want to simply give up on their work.  Having a teacher at the front of the classroom writing out and speaking the material is the most efficient way for students to learn the extensive amount of information that is required of them.  Keeping up with and remembering all of the deadlines for work is also a challenge for students.  In college, because the length of the classes is limited, it is vital to complete all of the work.  One forgotten assignment can be the determining force on a passing or failing grade.  Having a teacher to constantly remind students about upcoming tests and assignments decreases the chance of an accidentally missed work.  A highly important benefit to being in a traditional classroom is that the teacher is able to explain how he or she wants the student to do the work.  A rubric posted in a virtual classroom is not a good representation of how an assignment is to be completed.  Confusion and mistakes can occur which can cost students a decent grade.  Healthy student-teacher relations in a traditional classroom are nothing to take for granted when it comes to excelling in college.

A second advantage that a traditional classroom has over a virtual classroom is the positive and motivational learning environment that is provided.  When a student is at home working on a course, there are many distractions that can make focusing difficult.  Television, family, friends, cell phones, and even a comfortable couch are possible learning inhibitors.  Traditional classrooms are designed to increase students' abilities to focus on their studies; therefore, one will not find too many learning distractions while listening to the teacher.  Another motivational perk to being in a traditional setting is having other students to push you forward.  Being around other students can cause a somewhat competitive edge.  One would not want to have the lowest grade in the class, so that could push students to study harder to receive a better grade.  Not only does having other students around cause competition, it can also result in positive encouragement.  It is much easier to study when there is more than one brain at work.  In a traditional setting, students can get together after class and have study groups (Kirtman).  If one student does not understand, maybe someone else does and can give them a helping hand.  Studying alone at the house can be quite boring and monotonous.  Being able to be around other people striving for the same goals can motivate students to get up, attend class, and do well at it.  These social interactions can lead to students to have a more confident and positive look at school.  The teacher also plays an important role in the motivational aspect of a traditional classroom.  When a student sees that his teacher has faith in them and wants to see him succeed, that will result in the student working hard to show that the teacher is right.  This gives students an extra boost of self-esteem they need.  

A final reason that traditional classrooms are the better alternative is that there is a more profound sense of work ethic.  "[F]or students in the traditional setting, a minimum of 3 hours (one class session) were spent on each topic. For the online students, there was no way to know exactly how much time (more or less) was spent on each of the course topics" (Kirtman).  Students who take online classes can do the bare minimum and just get by in the class.  At least in a traditional classroom, students are required to spend a certain amount of time in class learning.  Students with bad work ethic can enroll in an online class and simply have or pay someone else to do their work.  Instances such as these are impossible when it comes to an actual classroom.  It is almost completely impossible to ensure that the person enrolled in the course is the one actually doing the work.  Another issue with work ethic in an online course is that students can use books, notes, internet, and other people to help them complete quizzes and tests.  Poor work ethic such as this results in a poor work force in the future.  If students are using other resources to complete assignments, they are not using their brains; therefore, they are not actually learning anything.    When students attend online classes they are required to answer questions in class, take all their tests in front of the professor, and prove that they deserve to pass the class.  Work ethic is a big deal when looking at the differences between traditional and virtual classrooms. 

Three of the many advantages that traditional classroom have over virtual classrooms are improved student-teacher relations, a positive and motivational environment, and better sense of work ethic.  Students are able to learn from the teacher face-to-face, socialize and gain motivation from their surroundings, and exert the amount of work ethic that is required of them.  "It could be concluded that faculty do not have the skill set or tools for transferring traditional classroom learning to the online environment effectively" (Statistical Analysis of IS Courses).     

Works Cited

Kirtman, Lisa. "Online Versus In-Class Courses: An Examination of Differences in Learning Outcomes." Fall 2009. Web. 24 September 2013. <www1.du/ITE/public_html/ITEFall09/12kirtman.pdf>.

Ury, Gary, et al. "Student Performance Online Vs. Onground: A Statistical Analysis of IS Courses." 8 October. 2005. Web. 24 September 2013.  <http://www.cs.hartford.edu/ ~dorn/papers/ISECON05.pdf>.