Face To Face or Online Learning?

I can’t be the only one who previous to the pandemic had no experience with online learning environments. My first experience with online learning was as a teacher, where I was expected to deliver lessons, in a way that I had never done before, not to mention I was brand new to the profession. 

Now 4 years later, I am a student in an online learning environment, which is very different from any learning environment I have experienced as a student before. Let’s look at these two very different learning experiences.

Similarities 

Both face to face, and online learning can use multimedia activities. Typically I think multimedia is more common in online learning, but it can and should be used in face to face learning as well. I find it more enjoyable, and memorable when multimedia activities are included in lessons because I can associate specific activities with the information I am learning. Having a mix of activities makes it easier for me to remember each different lesson.

You are required to meet the Learning Outcomes of the course. Whether you are in person or online, every course has planned learning outcomes and in order to be successful in the course you will need to meet them.

There is an instructor that is there to help guide you through the learning and provide support and feedback when needed.

Some form of assessment happens in both settings. The types of assessments might look very different but they are present.

There is a diversity of students. In online learning the diversity of students could be much greater because the reach of the course is not limited to the geographical area that face to face is limited by. However, there will always be some diversity even in face to face learning environments. I’ve been really lucky in my learning experiences, both face to face and online, have had quite diverse groups of students. 

Differences:

Feedback:

In face to face learning feedback is done through direct interactions with real time responses to questions. You can seek immediate clarification. Personally I find that these direct interactions for feedback are much more effective for my learning style. When I’m working on a task I’d much prefer to get the feedback and fix something in real time while I’m in the groove, over waiting for feedback and coming back to the task at a different sitting.

In an online learning environment oftentimes there is asynchronous work happening so feedback might come hours or days later from when you ask for it. Unless there is a synchronous meeting time, clarification is not always immediate.

Scheduling and Location:

In face to face learning you are required to be at the designated location, at a specific time for each lesson. A lot of the learning and work often happens during the class time. The pace of learning is set by the instructor with hard deadlines for work. I find that the structure of having multiple classes a week, with regular face time with the teacher helps keep me on track to work through assignments because I have multiple opportunities to check in throughout the week. 

In online learning, it is more flexible and you are able to attend the lesson from anywhere in the world making it more accessible to people who are not geographically close or able to attend in person learning, asynchronous work can be done at any time, and from anywhere. Synchronous time can happen from anywhere in the world, and the work is typically more self-paced. For me, at first glance, the flexibility of online learning seems like it will be better when I am working full time, but in reality the flexibility makes it easier to push things off, and therefore end up with a lot of work to complete within a short period of time, versus doing it slowly throughout the course.

Activities:

Face to face learning allows for more hands-on activities, especially ones that require specific materials such as science experiments, or for students to work together acting something out, or solving physical puzzles. I enjoy these types of hands-on activities because they are so much more memorable than a lecture. If students are leaving the class talking about the activity I know that memorable learning has occurred.

With online learning, activities can be collaborative but often are done asynchronously. I find because of the asynchronous nature of most collaboration with online learning, I don’t get as much out of this type of collaboration because I find it more challenging to build off of others’ ideas when I have to come back to the thinking.

Social Interactions Amongst Students:

In a face to face setting students are actively working on tasks at the same time, and often together in partners or small groups, and you can easily do things such as think, pair, share. As a student there is socialization that occurs at the start of and end of classes. As a fairly shy person, I find in-person classes less intimidating because of socialization that occurs before and after class. Even though I’m not super outgoing, it gives me more opportunities to build meaningful connections with my classmates in a low stakes way. I also find I am more likely to ask my peers questions mid-class to check my understanding because I know we are working on the same thing.

In online learning, these social interactions don’t occur as naturally, especially if students don’t already know each other. Space can be made to have these interactions, but students are much more likely to stick to themselves. Personally, because I am shy I find it really challenging to socialize with new people in an online setting. I am far more likely to sit quietly and not go out of my way to talk to people, because they aren’t right in front of me, and I don’t necessarily enjoy small talk. 

Participation and Distractions:

Face to face settings increase participation from students because of the human element of being physically in a room with someone. It is easier to participate when you can see everyone’s body language, and read the room for the tone of conversations. It also decreases distractions from devices because students don’t need to be on their devices in order to participate in the entirety of the lesson. Students are also less likely to be on their phones, because it becomes quite obvious when they are. Younger students typically aren’t allowed to have their phones in class, and when you get to older students, they are aware that it is rude to be on their phone so typically will keep the distraction away. When I am in a face to face classroom setting, I am more often than not, 100% focused on what I am learning at that moment. My phone is away in my bag not tempting me, and I only have my computer open if it is needed, and I usually (not always, because I’m not claiming to be perfect!), only have the tabs I need open. 

Online classes are easier to opt out of participation because students aren’t always synchronously working with the instructor. When they are synchronous there is an option to have your camera off, or “have technical difficulties” that limit your participation. With an online setting you are forced to be on your device in order to be a part of the lesson which therefore increases the potential for distractions, with having multiple tabs open and other things running in the background or on a second screen. The instructor is also not in the room with students so it is easier to be on a second device like a phone while working on class work or listening to lessons. I am guilty of all of these forms of distraction, and at a much higher rate than I am willing to admit. In theory could I close all of my distracting tabs while on my computer? Yes, of course.

So what is my preference?

If you couldn’t tell based on what I have previously mentioned here, my preference is for face to face learning as a student. I do understand that for some people online might be better, but for my personal learning style, I find it so much easier to connect with my instructors for questions and receive feedback when I’m in a face to face setting. This direct, instant feedback is more beneficial for how I work through learning tasks, and to keep me on track to complete work in an appropriate time frame. 

I think Aaron Barth does a fantastic job, summarizing many of the things that online learning is missing, in order for me to be successful in an online setting.