Learning is natural for humans, passing on the knowledge we have acquired so far is wired into our systems. With technology today, learning has become easier than expected. People can educate themselves, not restricted by boundaries of traditional face-to-face learning. But do they surpass each other in terms of better learning outcomes? How so?
The key difference between online and offline learning is location. With offline learning, students have to travel to the training location, generally a lecture hall, college or classroom. With online learning, on the other hand, the training can be managed from nearly anywhere in the world. Participants simply need to log on to the internet from their home, work or even their local coffee shop. Online learning is comfortable to many as they don’t limit one's ability as long as you are connected to the internet.
They can search and seek the courses of their interest from across the globe and educate themselves. The location isn’t fixed as the classes are virtual.
The next difference is the flexibility offered. Online learning usually has a more convenient timescale. As a trainer, you can offer your support via email or through an online chat system. With offline learning, it is usually carried out between office hours and doesn’t offer as much convenience of time to the learner or the trainer.
Apart from these two differences, the benefits of online or offline learning from IB tutors are practically the same. Online qualifications are just as globally acknowledged as offline ones and the standards of learning are also identical.
The timings for these classes can be made flexible based on the needs. One to one sessions can be planned according to time availability. This saves time from reducing waiting time. Further, these classes can be recorded before hand and hence, can be watched anytime and multiple times.
They also save time by reducing travel and choosing between different priorities and needs. This also gives you more time to spend on people and other activities. Being unlimited to factors of location and flexibility of time, means every learner can benefit from the courses.
On the other hand, traditional offline learning also has its benefits. It is a method we are usually accustomed to. The familiarity of it since our childhood helps us settle down to learn easily and pay attention. It is something similar to classical conditioning where we are ready to learn once we are in a classroom setting.
Offline learning also confirms that the students attending the classes pay attention to the classes properly. Teachers can resort to different methods if needed, as students respond in kind differently. It enables undisturbed feedback and clears doubts immediately. But the drawback of offline tuitions is that if it is group tuition, then not every student will express himself/ herself as every child’s personality tends to be different.
For today’s students, both these methods are beneficial to offer the best results. Students must learn to balance these for flexibility, convenience and opportunities from online learning and continuous, direct interactions and feedbacks from offline learning. Though it is the student’s responsibility to learn more from the method they excel at and for better outcome as each student has different learning methods, and to stick to them is the best option they can go for.
