Gone are the days when only offline education was considered the epitome of a great and ideal education. With advancements in technology and with the covid-19 pandemic in the picture, online education has taken a front seat. While this doesn’t mean that the importance of offline education has reduced to any extent, it has certainly led to a great comparison with online learning and classes.
Table of Contents
- What is online education?
- What is offline education?
- Online education vs offline education.
- Advantages and disadvantages of online education.
- Advantages and disadvantages of offline education.
- Conclusion
Online Classes
This comprises a process where individuals study through live lectures and recordings of sessions of a particular course matter. They get education and information through the virtual mode of classrooms. Ever since the covid-19 pandemic hit, things have changed drastically. The shift to online classes has been sudden and that has led to increased popularity and usage of the internet.
Whether it is a dance class, English class or math class, online education can provide them at the click of a button with a wide variety of choices of teachers to choose from.
Offline Classes
This kind of education refers to the kind of learning where students and teachers have face-to-face interactions while imparting and gaining knowledge. This usually takes place in proper physical classrooms and not in virtual mode and allows for proper interaction between teachers, students and their peers.
As the pandemic is coming to an end now, and things are going back to normal, offline classes in schools, colleges and elsewhere are resuming and it is going back to the way it was.
Online Classes Vs Offline Classes
Both online and offline learning have their pros and cons, and it would be unfair to say which is better than the other because both are equally competitive. But they can be differentiated based on accessibility, flexibility, time and cost considerations, teaching method and interaction level.
| S.No. | ONLINE CLASSES | OFFLINE CLASSES | |
| 1 | Accessibility | Through Digital educational platforms like zoom, teams and meet. | Through being physically present in the classroom |
| 2 | Flexibility | Greater flexibility | Lesser flexibility |
| 3 | Time | Might stretch for a long time and hence make it difficult to manage time. | A proper schedule ensures time management and timely completion of work. |
| 4 | Costing | Online education is cost-effective | Offline education might incur extra costs. |
| 5 | Teaching method | PPT, virtual whiteboards and virtual classrooms | Group discussions, debates and classroom interactions. |
| 6 | Interaction level | Lesser interaction | Greater interaction |
1. Accessibility
Online education provides the comfort of accessing and learning through various online education platforms like zoom, Microsoft teams, google meet etc. It can be done at the click of a button from the comfort of one’s home. Another important advantage is that any kind of course or educational content can be accessed from all over the world.
Offline classes on the hand can become a little restrictive in terms of how easily they can be accessed. One has to be physically present in the classroom to attain education and sometimes that might lead to missing out on important learning due to personal and environmental
2. Flexibility
Online classes provide ease of access and flexibility with when one wants to access and do their learning. Even though there is a set timing for schools and universities, other educational-based learning platforms provide the flexibility to do the learning at one’s own pace. Platforms like 88guru provide video-based content that can be accessed as per one’s availability and convenience without any deadlines to fulfil.
Offline classes on the other hand provide a set schedule and fixed time for classes. One has to go to school or tuition classes at a set time and attend them, there is hardly any flexibility in how one wants to attend or work through different classes. This can sometimes make it difficult to attend when there are personal issues like illness or other commitments.
3. Time and Cost Considerations
While managing time may become a difficult task considering the lack of schedule in online classes, there are various cost advantages at hand when choosing online education. It is affordable and cheaper than offline classes, with the same quality of education being provided. Online classes can go on for a long time and hence lead to burnout in children and a lack of time management for them to complete their other tasks and chores.
Offline classes ensure a proper schedule hence, students have a good sense of time management and can complete their assignments and other tasks timely without any delay. But offline tuition classes might seem costlier than online classes.
4. Teaching Method
In online classes, instructors use different digital methods and tools like google classrooms, PowerPoint presentations, virtual whiteboards and different activity tools to make teaching more effective. Teaching using education videos is also a great way in which online education carves its niche. Hence it is important to have a stable and good internet connection to have a fluent teaching experience.
Offline classes, on the other hand, employ different methods and traditional tools like classroom discussions, debates, and extra-curricular activities to have an effective teaching methodology. Since these classes are physical in nature, materials are provided in hard copy in the form of worksheets and notes.
5. Interaction Level
At times, online classes provide easy communication if there are live lectures, but at the same time if the educational content is video-based and pre-recorded then that leaves no scope for any kind of interaction between the student and the instructor. It also makes it difficult for them to clarify their queries and doubts. Online classes at times can help students who have social anxiety in asking questions at their convenience by posting or writing them down.
Offline classes provide a great level of communication between the students and the instructor. Since they are physical and face-to-face, there is a greater level of trust and interaction that happens between students and teachers. There are discussions, and debates that help the students in having a deeper and greater understanding of what is being taught. Hence, in this component, offline classes are way ahead of online classes.
Advantages of Online Classes
- It is affordable and easy to access along with being extremely flexible.
- It can be accessed at the click of a button.
- There is no commitment to sit and study with a strict schedule, one can complete online video-based courses at their convenience.
- It is easy on the pocket.
- One can learn from anyone from all over the world. Online education helps in reducing boundaries.
Disadvantages of Online Classes
- With no proper restrictions in place, it can lead to a lack of discipline in children.
- It leaves very little scope for proper interaction between students and the teacher.
- Haphazard timing might lead students to sit in front of the screen for longer durations thus delaying their assignments and work.
- Continuously learning online might lead students to lose focus after a certain point in time.
- There is limited feedback that the teacher can provide.
Disadvantages of Offline Classes
- Since offline classes involve physical presence, travelling to and from one place to another might lead to a waste of time and students being tired in the process.
- Being absent due to personal issues might lead to missing out on a lot of learning in one day.
- Lectures that are conducted once cannot be repeated again and sometimes might make students feel that they missed out on some things.
- Offline education is expensive. Along with the fees, there are various other charges like transportation, boarding and developmental charges that schools and universities usually charge their students.
Blog Conclusion
While the debate of online vs offline classes is a hot one, it is important to understand that both of them have their pros and cons and their importance in every way. Online classes cannot take the place of offline classes and the same cannot happen for offline classes in any case. Thus, all the advantages and disadvantages of online and offline classes should be considered.
FAQs
It would be wrong to say that online classes are better than offline classes because both of them have their pros and cons. While online classes certainly have more benefits like ease of access, flexibility, and cost-friendly and can be done from the comfort of home, the face-to-face physical interaction in offline classes can never be taken over by online classes. Face-to-face interaction increases confidence, trust and discussions among people.
Online classes are very easy to access. One can access them with the click of a button and without any difficulties, considering that one has a stable internet connection. Anything and everything can be accessed and learned from all over the world from the comfort of one’s home, thanks to technology.
One must consider all the pros and cons of both online and offline tuition classes before making a decision. Online tuition classes provide flexible and affordable packages with ease of access and no fixed schedule, this provides a student with the independence to study as they want at their convenience. 88guru provides flexible, affordable and easily accessible study packages starting at just Rs88/-. On the other hand, offline tuition classes give the student the benefit of face-to-face interaction along with a fixed schedule for studies.
