How is Online Teaching Different From Traditional Classroom Teaching

In recent years, we are shifting from traditional learning to online learning. Online learning is different from traditional learning in many aspects. It depends on the teacher which delivery method he wants to use. In this article, we will see how different online teaching is.

Traditional Classroom Teaching.png

Online teaching -

In online teaching, you teach students from various backgrounds and places from any place. You can use various methods over the internet such as group video calls, PPTs, images, and graphs. One of the biggest pros of online teaching is that it is accessible at any place and at any time.

Traditional teaching -

In traditional teaching, you teach students in physical classrooms. Traditional teaching is teacher-centric. Teachers are the main source of knowledge in traditional teaching. You can use various tools like introducing information, chalk, informal assessment, and activities.

There are several points by which we can get to know how different is traditional teaching from online teaching.

Regulations -

In traditional teaching, everything happens in a well-structured classroom with a properly defined timetable. You need to take classes at a specific time.

In an online teaching environment, the student sets the pace of learning. They need to be disciplined enough to set proper time each day to focus on completing any topic. In some cases, students need to complete any course within a time limit and in some cases, it’s open-ended.

Flexibility -

A traditional class has a specific time and date. You expect students to attend the class at a specified time. If they miss the lecture, there may be an opportunity to cover that up but it can not be up to that standard. This dependency on time makes traditional teaching somehow difficult for some students.

And here online teaching comes into the picture to provide students much more flexibility than traditional. By online teaching, students can see their lectures at any time and place as per their availability and complete them at their own pace. In traditional teaching, you can provide the same lecture to every student who needs that. This is why online teaching gives more flexibility than traditional teaching.

Location -

If you belong to a small city or developing country and do not have that many students. Similarly, if you want to teach any specific student from a different city or country then you have to move to that city. Online teaching can solve both these problems. Someone in any village or a city can easily get access to content provided online.

Working hours -

In traditional teaching, you have set working hours. At any institute, you have split schedules that require both morning and evening sessions. But in online teaching, you have the flexibility of choosing your working hours.

Effectiveness -

We can not say that which among online learning and traditional learning is more effective. Because it depends upon the person who is delivering the lecture. But by comparing all aspects we can say that online teaching is a full-fledged alternative to traditional teaching.

Costs -

Traditional teaching is valuable but we can not ignore its setup cost. Setting up a traditional classroom is much more expensive than setting up an online teaching classroom. This lower cost of an online class is due to fewer physical infrastructure costs. And your online courses will also be affordable for students.

Pros and cons of traditional teaching -

Credence -

When you teach students in the traditional classroom and work with them on a project you can sense academic credence in them.

Interpersonal skills -

By sitting in a class with fellow students and interacting with them, critical interpersonal skills are cultivated. These skills are helpful in other situations in students' personal and professional lives.

Cost -

Setting up a traditional class is much more costly than an online class.

Lack of flexibility -

Due to a fixed timing schedule, traditional teaching lacks more flexibility than online teaching.

Pros and cons of online teaching -

Meeting different students -

Teaching online can be an exciting way to meet students from different countries or cultures. You will have an opportunity to share your way of life and to contribute a mutual connection with different cultures.

No time limits -

In online teaching, you can schedule your classes as per your availability.

Cheating -

Some students cheat and copy assessments in online teaching. And it is difficult for you to monitor an online evaluation.

Low motivation in students -

It has been seen that in online mode students have low motivation for learning so it becomes difficult for the teacher to keep their students motivated.

Now you have got an idea about how online teaching differs from traditional teaching.

Contributed by:
Edmund Hinkel