Well, which one would you go for, gasping facts sitting in front of a screen at your own comfort or formally attending classes with your peers to listen to the precious lectures? Well, the debate is on everywhere whether traditional learning methods are better or the new generation online learning. Each has its own philosophy, merits, and demerits to count.

Online learning comes up in various forms, wherein students learn through online teaching sessions, aid assignment help websites, and online doubt clearing sessions. Such programs comprise of the same information as it would have been provided in a regular class, the difference lies in the medium of interaction; online. 

Yes, the internet has made every requirement just a few clicks away from us, even education! You would see students studying through online videos, notes and group discussions, proving that technology is on the rise in every field.

On the other hand, numerous schools, institutions, and universities still follow the traditional teaching methods, wherein students gather together in a class to learn from their professors. The concepts are taught face to face, and doubts are cleared in a similar way. 

Let us go through some major aspects to compare the two methods to understand them better.

1. Social relations 

•  Online education                         

Interaction among peers or with your instructor happens in online group discussions, text conversations. This can be a good way to communicate with people around whenever you wish to and you do not need to run out to a specific place to discuss your work. But since social interaction is highly important for a person’s overall development as students learn to develop relations in a society, online training methods may not provide much help in it.

• Traditional education

Well, you sit in a class full of people around, and you learn various attributes of social behavior other than just the lessons. School is the first society a child goes into. Cooperation, coordination, communication skills, teamwork, leadership etc are some of the key qualities that develop well through traditional education model, as the students spend their school time together. These qualities are crucial for a fine person as well.

2.Flexibility

• Online education

Now that is a feature for which online education can indeed prove to be a boon. With online learning, you do not need to force yourself into a rigid time schedule to understand your lessons. You can access it all from your own comfort zone and at a time that suits you as well!

Flexibility is one of the major reasons for a majority of people who choose online training methods. It gives in the space to fit in your other commitments in your day as well. Most of the online courses require the students to log in once in a week to go through the study materials provided, participate in the online discussions and complete the assignments before the next login schedule. This gives a lot of time to complete your other tasks simultaneously, without causing any harm to your studies.

• Traditional education

Well, in contrast to the comfort of online training, traditional learning methods would make you follow a strict time schedule of learning continuously for hours at a stretch. Like it or not, but you would have to go through it! It may become a tough job if you plan to work along with your studies.

3.Self-motivation

• Online training

One needs to be highly self-motivated to enroll in an online learning program. You will not be having any bells ringing after each class or teachers around you to push you to study. You are the only one who can motivate you. To tackle this problem, students must restrain themselves from any kind of distractions during their study time and develop a keen interest in the course to maintain motivation. One must find their motivation within themselves, thus do not forget you objective of joining the online program.

• Traditional education

The challenge of self-motivation is won over by the regular interaction between students and teachers in the traditional education model. Being on the school campus, students can be reminded time to tie about the upcoming examinations and assignments. 

Following are some further pros and cons of online training and traditional training which will definitely help in deciding the right option for you.

1. Online training

Pros

• It encourages students to develop a sense of responsibility for their learning.
• Builds successful accuracy and habit of working within given deadlines, as students have to complete the given tasks within a limited time period.
• Students become skilled in handling the online software.
• Group discussions are carried out online, through emails or in chat rooms, which gives students the opportunity to interact with their instructors and peers.
• Flexibility in time schedule is one of the most beneficial advantages of online training courses. You can study as per your own time schedule without any hassles.

Cons 

• Those with a low self-motivation and discipline will find it tough to cope up with online classes. Students should develop a regular habit of completing their work within time and be in touch with the instructors on a regular basis.
• It may happen that students feel isolated from their peers and instructors.
• Internet problems could be a huge hindrance while you work. A good internet connection and speed is a must for online learning.
• It can be tough at times to clear your doubts through an online medium. Or, it could also happen that you would have to wait for hours to get your doubt cleared, which will affect your work pace.

2.Traditional learning

Pros

• Students receive face to face instructions, which is the best way for a quick learning and understanding the concepts in a better way.
• Your teachers are available around you all the time to clear your doubts.
• Socializing and learning social behavior is another important feature of traditional learning. Students learn to socialize with other people of various age groups, races, genders, regions, languages etc, which promotes diversity.  

Cons

• While you get sick or go through an injury, there is no other way but to take a leave from the school. This slows down your academic schedule and often students lag behind due to the pending work.
• A strict time schedule is a must to be followed for traditional learning, which may come up as an obstruction if you want to work along with your studies or have other important commitments.

Comparing the two systems in terms of various features, it turns out that each has its own advantage and disadvantage. As a student is the one who bests knows about himself, you must choose what is the best option as per your time schedule and requirements. If you are willing to work along with your studies, sick and bedridden for a time period or have family commitments to meet, enroll in an online learning program. This way, you will not be losing either on your academics or your other important tasks.

On the other hand, if you find it challenging to keep yourself motivated all the time to do everything on your own responsibility and looking to bring discipline into your life, surely then going to a school is the best option for you. Along with studies, it will also give you the opportunity to mix with people from various social groups and the golden chance to learn socializing.