So what will it be – Online or campus? That is the question. So really, which is better, going to school online or going to an actual school campus?
That can depend on one’s individual point of view. It has been observed that there can be certain benefits – as well as disadvantages to both. Let’s look at the pros and cons of both online and on-site education.
Online Education
Pros:
Because of the miracle of the internet, many things that were once challenging or even difficult to come by are now more simpler than ever before. This includes education as well.
Many well-known, respected colleges and universities have now gone online.
For some, learning online is easy because it affords them learning opportunities that one cannot get in an actual classroom.
For one thing, a person studying online can study in the comfort and convenience of their own home, they can study at their own pace, away from other people, and some online schools do indeed allow students to study at their own pace.
Students can receive the same courses and curriculum that an on-site student receives. All their textbooks that they need as well as their teachers are all provided online.
Cons:
Even though online learning has its conveniences, it can also have its setbacks. Because the student is not actually in the presence of an actual on-site teacher who can see what they are doing, they may not necessarily be inclined to take their studies as serious.
Since the classes are done in the privacy of one’s home, unless the education is by means of Skype, where the student can actually be seen, how does the teacher know if the one studying the lesson is actually the student?
Also, when people know or think that they are not being watched, they tend to get a little lackadaisical, or lazy.
Some may well conclude that the idea or notion of studying with online teachers lacks the naturalness that being in an actual classroom brings.
On-Campus Education
Pros:
For some students, though, there’s nothing like the real thing, being in an actual classroom with teachers who can actually give them personalized attention on-the-spot.
Also, being on a real campus allows them to socially interact with real students, whom they can deal with face-to-face, not like they are dealing with other persons on some online chat room platform, whom in many cases they do not know what the persons actually look like.
In many cases, the student may be looking at head shots of an individual of how they looked several or even many years ago.
Besides, one simply cannot do everything online; some situations have to be dealt with face-to-face, not by sitting in front of a computer.
Cons:
For some students, the idea of studying with other students can terrifying; besides, some teachers can be quite annoying, especially when you have to deal with them in person.
Besides, not all students can study in an on-site classroom, they have too busy and demanding schedules; therefore studying online may be the only practical way for them to learn.
Final Word
These are just some of the pros and cons that may be confronted with when studying online or on campus. Of course, not everyone may agree with the above scenarios, but it nonetheless may give them something to think about.
So, what will it be – Online education or campus? Only the individual student can decide what is best – or not best – for them.