Mark and James are university students. Both of them are keen to learn and get educated. But the similarity ends there. Mark has to rely on internet and online classes and virtual classrooms whereas James has the facility of on-ground education where he can interact with the faculty.
Mark, it seems, clearly holds the disadvantage of not being given a chance to mingle and interact with the teachers as frequently as James do. But unlike on-ground education which requires a student to attend class on a strict and set time schedule, the main benefit of an online class is that you may listen to the lectures whenever you want. (Michael, 2006). The main benefit for Mark, lies with the fact, is that he can listen to the lectures online wherever or whenever wants whereas, James, having once missed the lecture, cannot again sit in the same class.
For Mark, the benefits of online education offset disadvantages. The online education provides him with a chance to equip him better by getting assistance from journals, web sites and online material while going through the lectures live, whereas James has to rely solely on his professor to guide him through the lecture and is cut off from sources of learning other than the classroom. For Mark, he can choose the date and time of classes according to his availability, even the date of exam is flexible for students taking online education, and obviously without having to fight On the other hand, James is given a strict schedule and deadline during which he has to complete his studies and get prepared for the exam and reach the exam centre on the given date and time, or he will be penalized. When students take the everyday classes, they are often distracted by outside factors such as weather or it is someone else is wearing better shoes than they are, sometimes students are too busy talking to their friends in class to pay attention to what the teacher is saying. All over the world, universities are investing huge money to devise ways for e-learning. E-learning is, therefore, more effective than on-ground learning. (Jones, 2005).
References
Jones, R. (2005). Online learning vs. on-ground learning. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from http://www.hubpages.com/hub/online-learning-vs-onground-learning
Michael, K. (2006). Compare contrast online education to on-ground education. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from http://www.justanswer.com/
