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Angel Eunice Geyrozaga
McClendon
ENG 101- Online
11 October 2020
Online Class or Traditional Class: Which is Better for Success?
Is online class slowly taking over traditional class? The fear of the global pandemic
escalated the number of students taking at least one online course this year. Nonetheless, some
students find more motivation taking traditional class. In fact, students are more successful when
they work together. Although online and traditional classes provide the same amount of
information, the different learning environment, flexibility, and test format make a huge impact
on students’ success.
The learning environment is the first difference between online and traditional classes.
An advantage of online class is students can take their classes at the comfort of their own home.
For example, they can listen to their recorded lectures in the kitchen while having breakfast.
Additionally, they can go to the bathroom whenever they want without asking for permission,
and they do not have to walk to different classrooms. However, traditional class gives students
the sense of being in school. For example, seeing the crowded hallway, reading books in the
library, and listening to the teacher are motivating. Moreover, teacher’s immediate access is one
of the advantages of traditional class’ environment. Students taking traditional class can ask
questions about the lesson and get answered immediately. On the contrary, “online students
require help in understanding that waiting continues to be part of teaching and learning” (Laird)
because they have to wait for at least 24 hours before getting answered. Moreover, traditional
class surrounds students with people that are doing the same thing, such as classmates doing the
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same classwork and teachers explaining lessons. This allows students to focus on their work and
work together. Comparably, online students do not have personal access to all of these. In fact,
some have to deal with their siblings while listening to their lectures, which gives them a hard
time understanding their lessons. Consideration of the learning environment between online and
traditional classes is an important aspect that can influence success on students.
Flexibility is what online class have that traditional class does not. Online class does not
provide students a concrete schedule of their courses, whereas traditional class set a fixed
schedule for them to follow. For example, traditional students have to take their Math class first
and then English class, while online students can take their classes in any order they want.
Additionally, online class gives students the flexibility to take their tests anytime. For instance,
online students can take their test late at night or at dawn; however, traditional students have to
take their test within the time that their teacher has set or within the time that they are in the
classroom. As a matter of fact, students are likely to stay on track when they have a fixed
schedule. Furthermore, being absent is not an option for online class because “there is no sick or
personal days in cyberspace” (Laird). Unlike traditional class, online students can still listen to
their lectures, write down notes, and take tests even if they are sick. In reality, traditional
students miss their tests and lectures when they have reasons of not going to school, such as
being sick. Perhaps, flexibility is the most important advantage of online class because not all
students are able to go to the classroom every day, thus missing the lessons.
The last difference between online and traditional class is the test format. Instead of
writing down answers or filling in bubbles on a Scantron, online students take their test through a
computer. To illustrate, online students answer their test by scrolling, typing and clicking.
Additionally, most online courses require the use of Respondus Lockdown Browser, which
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prohibits students from searching answers on the web while taking the test. By comparison,
having a computer is not necessary for traditional students to take their test. To show that,
traditional students are required to have a pen and a paper. In comparison to traditional class,
online students and the teacher are not in the same room, which allows students to cheat.
Traditional class has a teacher that watches over the students during the test. Lastly, taking a test
with other students in the classroom gives more focus than taking it alone in the bedroom.
Students should consider which test-taking process they are most successful at, either through a
computer or a paper.
There are plenty of reason why students take online class, such as having a full-time job
or having children to take care of. Every student has his or her own way of learning; some
students learn better online. The learning environment of traditional class gives a sense of being
in school, thus motivates students to do their work efficiently; the flexibility of online class
allows students to do their work at their own pace; the test format of traditional class allows
students to focus on their test. The difference between the two is what students should take into
consideration if they want to be successful.