Online Learning vs Traditional Onsite Learning: Which is

Better?
Online learning is convenient, and it may be a more effective way to learn as well. Most online
programs are designed with the needs of adults in mind. Do they meet your needs? Read on to find
out.

Most online programs are part-time, designed to accommodate students' other commitments. Image
by Chris Yang from Unsplash

Tom Collins-Meltzer

Author

January 17, 2020

Most prospective adult learners are overcommitted. They have jobs, families, community obligations
—and they're planning to add education, a huge time and energy consumer, to that list. What can
they do to simplify their schedules?

Online learning is one option. Most online programs are part-time, designed to accommodate
students' other commitments. They may even allow the student to complete the program entirely on
their own, without ever attending a live class or on-campus event.

Online education also greatly expands students' academic options. No one near where you live offers
that Master of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences degree you've been dreaming of? No
problem, University of Florida - Online offers it. Now you can become an aquatic scientist from the
comfort of your home, no matter where you are.

Online learning isn't the answer to all problems, but it does solve quite a few. In this article about the
benefits of online learning for adults, we'll cover:

 What is online learning?

 How does online learning work?
  What types of programs are available online?
 What are the benefits of online learning?

What is online learning?

The term "online learning"—sometimes called "distance learning" or "e-learning"—refers to any form
of education delivered via the Internet. Online learning includes everything from short tutorials to
semester-long academic courses to certificate and degree programs. If you've ever watched a how-to
video on Youtube, used an app to study an academic subject, or completed a work training on your
computer, you've engaged in online learning.

Online learning has many applications. Elementary and secondary schools use online learning tools
to deliver lessons or exercises to students, either in the classroom or as independent work. Private
vendors, colleges, and universities use online learning to provide training courses and certification
programs. Colleges and universities use online platforms to deliver undergraduate- and graduate-level
courses and degrees.

Online learning delivers content in two ways:

 Asynchronous content can be accessed by students at any time, 24/7. Asynchronous

content typically consists of videos, graphics, readings, slide decks, bulletin boards and
message boards, and third-party apps.
 Synchronous content must be accessed at a specified time. In online programs that offer
live classes, the live classes are synchronous content. In some online programs, attendance
and participation in live classes are mandatory. In others, online students watch but don't
participate in live classes; in these programs, live classes are typically recorded so students
can view them later, asynchronously. Online class meetings—for projects and study groups—
are another form of synchronous content.

An online program can either be 100 percent online or require students to attend some sessions in-
person. The latter format is usually described as a hybrid online program. The in-person meetings
may be weekend-long immersion programs that culminate in a group project, or they could simply be
courses that cannot be delivered online.

In its developing years, online learning earned a mixed reputation because:

 Online courses were text-heavy and dull

 Opportunities for students to engage with each other and with faculty were minimal
 Many of the schools offering online options had poor graduation and job-placement results

Today, however, none of these are true. Expanded bandwidth means online courses incorporate high-
def streaming video and interactive apps, and teleconferencing apps allow students and faculty to
collaborate as frequently as they wish. Many top schools have launched online learning programs,
producing impressive results for students. Not all online programs are worthwhile, but programs
offering excellent value are not difficult to find. And in nearly all cases, schools award the identical
degree to online and on-campus students. There is no stigma attached to earning a certification or
degree online.

How does online learning work?

To study online, students typically log into a learning management system (LMS). The LMS is the
platform in which courses and grades are delivered to students. Once logged in, the student can
access the courses in which they are enrolled as well as their grades for completed work.

Most LMSes are highly intuitive. If you know how to point and click, you can navigate your way
through an online course. Course modules typically appear in outline form; students progress linearly
through the modules. These often include occasional quizzes to ensure students have understood
what has been taught.
Some online programs are 100 percent asynchronous, meaning that all the material can be accessed
independently at any time during the course. In such programs, students are not required to attend
live sessions. Other online programs require live sessions—they typically occur once per week—
facilitated by an online meeting app such as Zoom or Adobe Connect.

In many ways, online learning is quite similar to traditional classroom learning. In both formats, an
instructor leads the class by providing a syllabus and delivering instruction. Students complete
readings, exercises, and other assignments to supplement instruction and demonstrate mastery. The
end result is often a grade or some other verification that the student has learned the material.

One critical difference is that, in traditional courses, students and their instructor convene for live
sessions in the same location. Another significant difference lies in the purpose of those live sessions.
In the traditional classroom, the standard instruction model is the lecture: the instructor stands at the
front of the class and speaks while students sit silently and take notes. Online learning programs,
however, deliver lecture material asynchronously, usually in pre-recorded videos. This means the live
session can be used to reinforce previous independent—i.e., asynchronous—learning. It's where
students apply, synthesize, and question what they have learned (this learning model is often
described as the flipped classroom). Many online students are surprised to discover that their online
live sessions are more interactive and dynamic than their traditional live classes ever were.

Another potential difference is that, in an online course, your section instructor will almost certainly not
be the lead instructor delivering the asynchronous content. Most online courses have dozens, if not
hundreds, of enrollees, so they are subdivided into sections taught by adjunct faculty. In this way, they
are a lot like large traditional introductory classes at the undergraduate level, where a lead professor
delivers the lectures and teaching assistants lead the discussion sections.

What types of programs are available online?

Online learning delivers just about any program that can be delivered in a live classroom, and some
that can't. Adults can pursue any of the following online:

 Individual courses
 Certification and licensure programs
 Associate's degrees
 Bachelor's degrees
 Master's degrees
 Doctoral-level degrees

Many professional degrees—for teachers, social workers, or nurses, for example—require students to
complete a practicum, internship, or other field placement. Most online programs that offer these
degrees provide support for students in finding these placements. Be wary of any program that will not
guarantee you such a placement, because you can't graduate without it.

Popular online degree programs include:

 RN to BSN programs
 RN to MSN programs
 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
 Master of Health Administration (MHA)
 Master of Public Health (MPH)
 Master of Business Administration (MBA)
 Master of Computer Science (MSCS)
 Master of Social Work (MSW)
 Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
 Master of Education (MEd)
 Doctor of Education (EdD)
New degrees are being added to online offerings all the time. Until recently, the American Bar
Association refused to approve online Juris Doctor (JD) degrees for lawyers, but now four (hybrid)
online law programs have been approved, and more are on the way. Some degree programs—many
PhDs come to mind—may never go online because they are too small to make it worth a school's
investment. It's arguable that the MD will never be offered online, but who knows? Things change fast
in online education.

What are the benefits of online learning?

There are many reasons to choose online study over traditional on-campus study. We've listed below
five of the reasons most commonly cited by students:

Convenience
For many adult students, the need to be on campus for a traditional program is a substantial
impediment. The amount of planning required to be at school at a specific time—with all the juggling
of work schedules and family obligations that can entail—can be a deal-breaker.

Many online programs can be completed without ever having to leave your home; no need to line up
daycare or a babysitter. Likewise, when you need to travel, you'll be able to access your schoolwork
anywhere you have online access. Nor will you have to miss class when you're sick. You won't have
to travel to and from campus nor find a parking space when you get there (nearly always a challenge;
why don't schools provide better parking options?).

Flexibility
Many online programs are 100 percent asynchronous, meaning you can complete the study materials
whenever you like. Are you a night owl? An early bird? Have ten minutes at the end of your lunch
break for some quick study time? Whenever you're ready to study, your academic content will be
waiting for you.

Even programs with mandatory live sessions are still mostly asynchronous: live sessions typically
meet once a week in the evening, for an hour to 90 minutes. You will have to prepare for the live
session by reviewing the asynchronous material, but you can do that at any time.

Cost savings
You may have heard that many online programs charge the same tuition as traditional on-campus
programs charge, and that is, in fact, true. Even so, you will still save money by studying online. First,
you'll avoid the cost of commuting and parking, and all the time you would have spent in transit (which
arguably has a monetary value).

Second, you can continue to live where you currently live and not have to relocate—which costs
money—to a location near a school (where rents and property values tend to be inflated). Finally,
online students sometimes avoid fees—such as an activity fee, or health insurance fees—that are
charged on-campus students.

More options
With traditional on-campus programs, you have two choices: attend a school near your home, or
relocate to attend a program farther away. For those unwilling or unable to locate, that can severely
limit your choices. Do you want to attend a top MBA program? You'd better hope there's one within
driving distance.

Or you could pursue that MBA online, where options include:

 Carnegie Mellon University

 Southern Methodist University
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 University of Virginia - Main Campus
 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
The same is true for all degrees: by choosing to study online, you eliminate geographic location as a
factor. That can greatly expand your choices and your opportunities.

Novel learning opportunities

Learning online is similar, but not identical, to learning in a traditional on-campus class. Here are
some ways in which online learning is arguably better:

 When you study online, you can review asynchronous material as often and as frequently
as you like. Were you ever utterly confused by a lecture and wished you could hear it again?
In your online program, you can hear it again and again and again until it makes sense to you
(or you determine that it will never make sense to you).
 Online courses—particularly those that are 100 percent asynchronous—afford students
latitude to learn at their own pace. They can parcel out the material in small chunks nightly
or cram it all in in a few monster study sessions. Whatever your learning style, online learning
accommodates it.
 Most online courses include many interactive elements that engage students in ways in-
class lectures do not. Frequent quizzes check to determine whether you've mastered the
material. Interactive apps increase students' level of active participation in learning. Live
classes, bulletin boards and message boards, live study sessions, and online group projects
keep students in touch and learning from each other as well as from their instructor.
 Online learning is multimedia learning, which "accommodates different learning styles and
so maximizes learning for more students." By adhering to Mayer's 12 principles of multimedia
learning, online course designers can exploit such unique benefits as: redundancy (the
pairing of text and audio, which improves learning); segmenting (breaking lessons into smaller
discrete learning units); and pre-training (constructing asynchronous material so that
knowledge necessary for a subsequent lesson is introduced at exactly the right time).

Questions or feedback? Email editor@noodle.com

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