essay on advantages of distance education

Distance Learning: Advantages and Limitations Essay

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Introduction

A shift from classroom to distance learning: advantages and limitations, theories of distance learning, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, works cited.

The theme of this study chose distance learning, which is relevant in connection with the recent coronavirus pandemic. After the searches, the three most relevant articles were selected. Namely: University Students Online Learning System During Covid-19 Pandemic: Advantages, Constraints and Solutions by Purwanto, which covers all the aspects of distance learning in terms of coronavirus (570). Indonesia Education Readiness Conducting Distance Learning in Covid-19 Pandemic Situation by Churiyah et al. represents the Indonesian government’s attitude to this phenomenon (491). Moreover, in A Shift from Classroom to Distance Learning: Advantages and Limitations by Sadeghi, the author discusses distance learning in all its terms (80). All three articles cover the topic of distance learning in the context of the coronavirus and everyday practice. However, Sadeghi’s article seems to be the most priority among all three articles, as it reveals this topic in a pros and cons format that is understandable to everyone.

This article consists of distance learning theory, its history, and its advantages and disadvantages. The article’s primary purpose is to familiarize itself since it does not prove anything but explains the complex in simple language. The author states that students participating in distance education may not always be present at a school (Sadeghi 80). In other words, students learn and pass their chosen subjects online without visiting a testing facility, a college campus, or a university building. The question of whether the provided education is as effective as it could be is raised because of its popularization.

The same is valid for online education, just as no single learning theory has been developed for instruction in general. Many theories have developed based on the significant learning theories we previously covered. The convergence of four overlapping lenses — community-centeredness, knowledge-centeredness, learner-centeredness, and assessment-centeredness — is one of the theories discussed in this section of the article (Sadeghi 82). These lenses served as the framework for the author’s strategy for researching an online education theory because they considered the qualities and resources the Internet offers about each of the four lenses. The author also pointed out how all types of media are now supported and readily available on the Internet, which formerly existed only as a text-based environment (Sadeghi 82). They also correctly noted that the linking function of the Internet is best suited to how human information is stored and accessed.

Speaking of the advantages of distance learning, the author suggests that remote learning may not be ideal for some students, and there will be a list of disadvantages. The best thing about remote learning is that one can take it anytime and anywhere. According to Sadeghi, a distance education degree earned online or through another method may be significantly less expensive for any given program than an on-campus degree (Sadeghi 83). Thus, one of the advantages is the lower cost of higher education in this format. The author also points out that forms of distance learning enable students to design their learning schedules at their leisure rather than adhering to a fixed course of study (Sadeghi 83). These three advantages can be called the most significant since they are most very distinguishable by remote education from traditional one.

While more people have the chance to pursue higher education due to distance learning, there are also some drawbacks. According to the author, the likelihood of being distracted and forgetting deadlines is considered when there is no teacher for face-to-face interaction and no classmates to assist with ongoing reminders about pending work (Sadeghi 84). Additionally, because training is done online, there is almost no physical interaction between students and instructors.

In conclusion, the author states that while distance learning programs and courses are here to stay and will grow in the future, many unclear concerns still need to be defined and looked at. The author believes that the other significant issue is that employers still favor traditional college or university degrees over those obtained through online or remote learning. Summing up, one can note the deep work carried out in the study of the concepts of distance learning.

Sadeghi, Manijeh. “ A shift from classroom to distance learning: Advantages and limitations .” International Journal of Research in English Education , vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 80–88., Web.

Churiyah, Madziatul, et al. “ Indonesia Education Readiness Conducting Distance Learning in Covid-19 Pandemic Situation .” International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, vol. 7, no. 6, 2020, p. 491., Web.

Purwanto, Agus. “ University Students Online Learning System during COVID-19 Pandemic: Advantages, Constraints, and Solutions .” Sys Rev Pharm, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 570–576., Web.

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Going the Distance: Why Online Learning Works

Learn more about the benefits of online learning, what online learning involves, and why it could be a good option for you.

Mary Sharp Emerson

There’s no debate that online learning has become a staple of higher education. And today’s online courses encompass a wide range of subjects and are more accessible than ever.

From current college students to people seeking a career change to professionals looking to update their skills, there is an online program for everyone. 

More than 6.5 million people were enrolled in some type of distance learning course offered through a degree-granting college or university in 2017, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.  

But why is online learning so popular, what methods make it effective, and where did it all begin? And most critically, how does the online educational experience match up to the traditional classroom? 

Let’s dig into the answers to these questions.

Distance Learning: New Technologies for an Old Practice

Distance learning online may be new, but the desire to learn from field experts from afar is not. In fact, all that’s really changed over the centuries—yes, centuries!—is the speed and style of communication.

For instance, in 1728, distance learning took place through correspondence courses in shorthand. Assignments were distributed and collected via parcel post.

In the early 1900s, radio emerged as a new educational opportunity. In 1919, for example, University of Wisconsin professors began the first federally licensed radio station dedicated to educational broadcasting.

However, truly functional distance learning remained little more than a fringe endeavor until the birth of the World Wide Web in 1991. 

Today, online learning is the fastest growing segment of education , even as overall enrollment at postsecondary institutions declines. It’s no wonder that 65 percent of institutions report that online learning is critical to their long-term strategic plans.

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Why Students Choose Online Courses

Learning styles are as varied as people themselves. While there’s no one “best” course format, research suggests that for some, online learning can be a rich experience. 

For instance, studies show that high self-efficacy often leads to success in online courses. In addition, computer literacy, good time management skills, and a positive attitude toward e-learning have been shown to be key characteristics of students who learn effectively in a blended learning environment.

In most cases, online and blended learning are as effective as a traditional classroom setting. But they may offer unmatched benefits for students studying part time or from a distance.

Scheduling flexibility

Most people agree that the biggest benefit of online courses is their flexibility. According to a recent study by Best Colleges , more than half of online learners have children at home or are currently working. Online courses offer the opportunity to complete classwork when it is most convenient, without sacrificing the quality of the educational experience.

Many online courses can be completed in the evenings, over the weekend, or during lunch hour. Assignments can be finished in large blocks or broken down into small sessions over the course of the day or the week. 

In other words, students can choose the schedule that works best for their particular situation.

Easy-to-use technologies facilitate collaboration

Many online courses today rely heavily on online learning platforms or learning management systems that allow collaboration between students and instructors. These are coupled with online discussion boards, one-on-one messaging, and of course, email for soliciting feedback, discussing concepts, and networking.

Most of these technologies are easy to use, a far cry from the unwieldy online conferencing tools of even a decade ago. Most can be downloaded as an app on a smartphone and/or laptop. And once installed, navigating through the course materials—whether live or recorded—is remarkably simple.  

Best of all, the technology used in online courses makes it possible for students with disabilities (whether they be visual, auditory, or physical) to participate fully in classes and discussions.

Plenty of career-boosting course options

Online learning offers thousands of courses designed to meet just about any individual goal, from anywhere with an internet connection. 

Online course technology lets institutions extend their opportunities to people living in regions with limited options. This not only expands educational options for those in remote or under-resourced areas, it allows them to network with professionals and experts in their desired field. 

Plus, the availability of workshops, individual courses, microcredentials, certificates, and degrees lets students tailor their pathway to fill particular gaps. 

Distance programs put learners of every age and background solidly in control of their development, allowing them to take just the courses they need to reach their goals. These factors are why online education is a foundation of the lifelong learning philosophy . 

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What are the different types of online courses? 

Today’s modern online classes offer the same quality of instruction, educational experience, and networking opportunities as the traditional classroom.

Generally speaking, there are three different types of online classes or courses to choose from:

• Asynchronous: Learners read or listen to course material on their own, at their own pace, completing assignments independently
• Synchronous: Students use video-conferencing platforms to interact in real-time with both instructors and classmates
• Blended: A mix of recorded lectures, slideshows, and PDFs can be accessed at any time for self-paced learning, coupled with regularly scheduled video conferencing for real-time interaction; some courses may even include campus visits for additional collaboration

The range of online formats ensures that anyone seeking to enrich their educational background outside of the traditional classroom can do so in the way that best suits them, without sacrificing the quality of the educational experience.

Moreover, the availability of self-paced, yet still interactive, distance education reflects a larger shift in education as a whole toward student-centered learning.

Why Distance Learning Works

Pedagogical theory in general has shifted away from behaviorism, in which learners were viewed as blank slates which could be filled with information and habits through drill and reward.

Today’s cognitive theory and constructivist teaching seek to understand how people build new knowledge within the framework of what they already know and understand. 

Constructivism in particular dictates that learners be at the helm of their own education, while instructors act as mediators who introduce ideas, ask questions, and encourage students to explore new ways of thinking on their own.

Online courses present a rich opportunity for this kind of teaching and learning. Students can absorb new information independently and come together to synthesize that information into real-world knowledge with classmates and instructors.

This ideal match between the theory of learning and the actual implementation of instruction may explain the success of students in online classes. 

Yet whatever the reason, this is certain: Online education is fundamentally changing the paradigm of higher education. It is opening up learning possibilities to students everywhere, in nearly every circumstance, and delivering that education in a way that is proving to be effective, convenient, and empowering.

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About the Author

Digital Content Producer

Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

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The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study

• Published: 06 September 2021
• Volume 27 , pages 429–450, ( 2022 )

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• Hakan Ulum   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1398-6935 1  

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of online education, which has been extensively used on student achievement since the beginning of the pandemic. In line with this purpose, a meta-analysis of the related studies focusing on the effect of online education on students’ academic achievement in several countries between the years 2010 and 2021 was carried out. Furthermore, this study will provide a source to assist future studies with comparing the effect of online education on academic achievement before and after the pandemic. This meta-analysis study consists of 27 studies in total. The meta-analysis involves the studies conducted in the USA, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia. The studies included in the meta-analysis are experimental studies, and the total sample size is 1772. In the study, the funnel plot, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test were utilized to determine the publication bias, which has been found to be quite low. Besides, Hedge’s g statistic was employed to measure the effect size for the difference between the means performed in accordance with the random effects model. The results of the study show that the effect size of online education on academic achievement is on a medium level. The heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

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1 Introduction

Information and communication technologies have become a powerful force in transforming the educational settings around the world. The pandemic has been an important factor in transferring traditional physical classrooms settings through adopting information and communication technologies and has also accelerated the transformation. The literature supports that learning environments connected to information and communication technologies highly satisfy students. Therefore, we need to keep interest in technology-based learning environments. Clearly, technology has had a huge impact on young people's online lives. This digital revolution can synergize the educational ambitions and interests of digitally addicted students. In essence, COVID-19 has provided us with an opportunity to embrace online learning as education systems have to keep up with the rapid emergence of new technologies.

Information and communication technologies that have an effect on all spheres of life are also actively included in the education field. With the recent developments, using technology in education has become inevitable due to personal and social reasons (Usta, 2011a ). Online education may be given as an example of using information and communication technologies as a consequence of the technological developments. Also, it is crystal clear that online learning is a popular way of obtaining instruction (Demiralay et al., 2016 ; Pillay et al., 2007 ), which is defined by Horton ( 2000 ) as a way of education that is performed through a web browser or an online application without requiring an extra software or a learning source. Furthermore, online learning is described as a way of utilizing the internet to obtain the related learning sources during the learning process, to interact with the content, the teacher, and other learners, as well as to get support throughout the learning process (Ally, 2004 ). Online learning has such benefits as learning independently at any time and place (Vrasidas & MsIsaac, 2000 ), granting facility (Poole, 2000 ), flexibility (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999 ), self-regulation skills (Usta, 2011b ), learning with collaboration, and opportunity to plan self-learning process.

Even though online education practices have not been comprehensive as it is now, internet and computers have been used in education as alternative learning tools in correlation with the advances in technology. The first distance education attempt in the world was initiated by the ‘Steno Courses’ announcement published in Boston newspaper in 1728. Furthermore, in the nineteenth century, Sweden University started the “Correspondence Composition Courses” for women, and University Correspondence College was afterwards founded for the correspondence courses in 1843 (Arat & Bakan, 2011 ). Recently, distance education has been performed through computers, assisted by the facilities of the internet technologies, and soon, it has evolved into a mobile education practice that is emanating from progress in the speed of internet connection, and the development of mobile devices.

With the emergence of pandemic (Covid-19), face to face education has almost been put to a halt, and online education has gained significant importance. The Microsoft management team declared to have 750 users involved in the online education activities on the 10 th March, just before the pandemic; however, on March 24, they informed that the number of users increased significantly, reaching the number of 138,698 users (OECD, 2020 ). This event supports the view that it is better to commonly use online education rather than using it as a traditional alternative educational tool when students do not have the opportunity to have a face to face education (Geostat, 2019 ). The period of Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as a sudden state of having limited opportunities. Face to face education has stopped in this period for a long time. The global spread of Covid-19 affected more than 850 million students all around the world, and it caused the suspension of face to face education. Different countries have proposed several solutions in order to maintain the education process during the pandemic. Schools have had to change their curriculum, and many countries supported the online education practices soon after the pandemic. In other words, traditional education gave its way to online education practices. At least 96 countries have been motivated to access online libraries, TV broadcasts, instructions, sources, video lectures, and online channels (UNESCO, 2020 ). In such a painful period, educational institutions went through online education practices by the help of huge companies such as Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, and Slack. Thus, online education has been discussed in the education agenda more intensively than ever before.

Although online education approaches were not used as comprehensively as it has been used recently, it was utilized as an alternative learning approach in education for a long time in parallel with the development of technology, internet and computers. The academic achievement of the students is often aimed to be promoted by employing online education approaches. In this regard, academicians in various countries have conducted many studies on the evaluation of online education approaches and published the related results. However, the accumulation of scientific data on online education approaches creates difficulties in keeping, organizing and synthesizing the findings. In this research area, studies are being conducted at an increasing rate making it difficult for scientists to be aware of all the research outside of their ​​expertise. Another problem encountered in the related study area is that online education studies are repetitive. Studies often utilize slightly different methods, measures, and/or examples to avoid duplication. This erroneous approach makes it difficult to distinguish between significant differences in the related results. In other words, if there are significant differences in the results of the studies, it may be difficult to express what variety explains the differences in these results. One obvious solution to these problems is to systematically review the results of various studies and uncover the sources. One method of performing such systematic syntheses is the application of meta-analysis which is a methodological and statistical approach to draw conclusions from the literature. At this point, how effective online education applications are in increasing the academic success is an important detail. Has online education, which is likely to be encountered frequently in the continuing pandemic period, been successful in the last ten years? If successful, how much was the impact? Did different variables have an impact on this effect? Academics across the globe have carried out studies on the evaluation of online education platforms and publishing the related results (Chiao et al., 2018 ). It is quite important to evaluate the results of the studies that have been published up until now, and that will be published in the future. Has the online education been successful? If it has been, how big is the impact? Do the different variables affect this impact? What should we consider in the next coming online education practices? These questions have all motivated us to carry out this study. We have conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis study that tries to provide a discussion platform on how to develop efficient online programs for educators and policy makers by reviewing the related studies on online education, presenting the effect size, and revealing the effect of diverse variables on the general impact.

There have been many critical discussions and comprehensive studies on the differences between online and face to face learning; however, the focus of this paper is different in the sense that it clarifies the magnitude of the effect of online education and teaching process, and it represents what factors should be controlled to help increase the effect size. Indeed, the purpose here is to provide conscious decisions in the implementation of the online education process.

The general impact of online education on the academic achievement will be discovered in the study. Therefore, this will provide an opportunity to get a general overview of the online education which has been practiced and discussed intensively in the pandemic period. Moreover, the general impact of online education on academic achievement will be analyzed, considering different variables. In other words, the current study will allow to totally evaluate the study results from the related literature, and to analyze the results considering several cultures, lectures, and class levels. Considering all the related points, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:

What is the effect size of online education on academic achievement?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the country?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the class level?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the lecture?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the online education approaches?

This study aims at determining the effect size of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, on students’ academic achievement in different courses by using a meta-analysis method. Meta-analysis is a synthesis method that enables gathering of several study results accurately and efficiently, and getting the total results in the end (Tsagris & Fragkos, 2018 ).

2.1 Selecting and coding the data (studies)

The required literature for the meta-analysis study was reviewed in July, 2020, and the follow-up review was conducted in September, 2020. The purpose of the follow-up review was to include the studies which were published in the conduction period of this study, and which met the related inclusion criteria. However, no study was encountered to be included in the follow-up review.

In order to access the studies in the meta-analysis, the databases of Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS were reviewed by utilizing the keywords ‘online learning and online education’. Not every database has a search engine that grants access to the studies by writing the keywords, and this obstacle was considered to be an important problem to be overcome. Therefore, a platform that has a special design was utilized by the researcher. With this purpose, through the open access system of Cukurova University Library, detailed reviews were practiced using EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) that allow reviewing the whole collection of research through a sole searching box. Since the fundamental variables of this study are online education and online learning, the literature was systematically reviewed in the related databases (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) by referring to the keywords. Within this scope, 225 articles were accessed, and the studies were included in the coding key list formed by the researcher. The name of the researchers, the year, the database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS), the sample group and size, the lectures that the academic achievement was tested in, the country that the study was conducted in, and the class levels were all included in this coding key.

The following criteria were identified to include 225 research studies which were coded based on the theoretical basis of the meta-analysis study: (1) The studies should be published in the refereed journals between the years 2020 and 2021, (2) The studies should be experimental studies that try to determine the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement, (3) The values of the stated variables or the required statistics to calculate these values should be stated in the results of the studies, and (4) The sample group of the study should be at a primary education level. These criteria were also used as the exclusion criteria in the sense that the studies that do not meet the required criteria were not included in the present study.

After the inclusion criteria were determined, a systematic review process was conducted, following the year criterion of the study by means of EBSCO. Within this scope, 290,365 studies that analyze the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement were accordingly accessed. The database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) was also used as a filter by analyzing the inclusion criteria. Hence, the number of the studies that were analyzed was 58,616. Afterwards, the keyword ‘primary education’ was used as the filter and the number of studies included in the study decreased to 3152. Lastly, the literature was reviewed by using the keyword ‘academic achievement’ and 225 studies were accessed. All the information of 225 articles was included in the coding key.

It is necessary for the coders to review the related studies accurately and control the validity, safety, and accuracy of the studies (Stewart & Kamins, 2001 ). Within this scope, the studies that were determined based on the variables used in this study were first reviewed by three researchers from primary education field, then the accessed studies were combined and processed in the coding key by the researcher. All these studies that were processed in the coding key were analyzed in accordance with the inclusion criteria by all the researchers in the meetings, and it was decided that 27 studies met the inclusion criteria (Atici & Polat, 2010 ; Carreon, 2018 ; Ceylan & Elitok Kesici, 2017 ; Chae & Shin, 2016 ; Chiang et al. 2014 ; Ercan, 2014 ; Ercan et al., 2016 ; Gwo-Jen et al., 2018 ; Hayes & Stewart, 2016 ; Hwang et al., 2012 ; Kert et al., 2017 ; Lai & Chen, 2010 ; Lai et al., 2015 ; Meyers et al., 2015 ; Ravenel et al., 2014 ; Sung et al., 2016 ; Wang & Chen, 2013 ; Yu, 2019 ; Yu & Chen, 2014 ; Yu & Pan, 2014 ; Yu et al., 2010 ; Zhong et al., 2017 ). The data from the studies meeting the inclusion criteria were independently processed in the second coding key by three researchers, and consensus meetings were arranged for further discussion. After the meetings, researchers came to an agreement that the data were coded accurately and precisely. Having identified the effect sizes and heterogeneity of the study, moderator variables that will show the differences between the effect sizes were determined. The data related to the determined moderator variables were added to the coding key by three researchers, and a new consensus meeting was arranged. After the meeting, researchers came to an agreement that moderator variables were coded accurately and precisely.

2.2 Study group

27 studies are included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies that are included in the analysis is 1772. The characteristics of the studies included are given in Table 1 .

2.3 Publication bias

Publication bias is the low capability of published studies on a research subject to represent all completed studies on the same subject (Card, 2011 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Similarly, publication bias is the state of having a relationship between the probability of the publication of a study on a subject, and the effect size and significance that it produces. Within this scope, publication bias may occur when the researchers do not want to publish the study as a result of failing to obtain the expected results, or not being approved by the scientific journals, and consequently not being included in the study synthesis (Makowski et al., 2019 ). The high possibility of publication bias in a meta-analysis study negatively affects (Pecoraro, 2018 ) the accuracy of the combined effect size, causing the average effect size to be reported differently than it should be (Borenstein et al., 2009 ). For this reason, the possibility of publication bias in the included studies was tested before determining the effect sizes of the relationships between the stated variables. The possibility of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

2.4 Selecting the model

After determining the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study, the statistical model used to calculate the effect sizes was selected. The main approaches used in the effect size calculations according to the differentiation level of inter-study variance are fixed and random effects models (Pigott, 2012 ). Fixed effects model refers to the homogeneity of the characteristics of combined studies apart from the sample sizes, while random effects model refers to the parameter diversity between the studies (Cumming, 2012 ). While calculating the average effect size in the random effects model (Deeks et al., 2008 ) that is based on the assumption that effect predictions of different studies are only the result of a similar distribution, it is necessary to consider several situations such as the effect size apart from the sample error of combined studies, characteristics of the participants, duration, scope, and pattern of the study (Littell et al., 2008 ). While deciding the model in the meta-analysis study, the assumptions on the sample characteristics of the studies included in the analysis and the inferences that the researcher aims to make should be taken into consideration. The fact that the sample characteristics of the studies conducted in the field of social sciences are affected by various parameters shows that using random effects model is more appropriate in this sense. Besides, it is stated that the inferences made with the random effects model are beyond the studies included in the meta-analysis (Field, 2003 ; Field & Gillett, 2010 ). Therefore, using random effects model also contributes to the generalization of research data. The specified criteria for the statistical model selection show that according to the nature of the meta-analysis study, the model should be selected just before the analysis (Borenstein et al., 2007 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Within this framework, it was decided to make use of the random effects model, considering that the students who are the samples of the studies included in the meta-analysis are from different countries and cultures, the sample characteristics of the studies differ, and the patterns and scopes of the studies vary as well.

2.5 Heterogeneity

Meta-analysis facilitates analyzing the research subject with different parameters by showing the level of diversity between the included studies. Within this frame, whether there is a heterogeneous distribution between the studies included in the study or not has been evaluated in the present study. The heterogeneity of the studies combined in this meta-analysis study has been determined through Q and I 2 tests. Q test evaluates the random distribution probability of the differences between the observed results (Deeks et al., 2008 ). Q value exceeding 2 value calculated according to the degree of freedom and significance, indicates the heterogeneity of the combined effect sizes (Card, 2011 ). I 2 test, which is the complementary of the Q test, shows the heterogeneity amount of the effect sizes (Cleophas & Zwinderman, 2017 ). I 2 value being higher than 75% is explained as high level of heterogeneity.

In case of encountering heterogeneity in the studies included in the meta-analysis, the reasons of heterogeneity can be analyzed by referring to the study characteristics. The study characteristics which may be related to the heterogeneity between the included studies can be interpreted through subgroup analysis or meta-regression analysis (Deeks et al., 2008 ). While determining the moderator variables, the sufficiency of the number of variables, the relationship between the moderators, and the condition to explain the differences between the results of the studies have all been considered in the present study. Within this scope, it was predicted in this meta-analysis study that the heterogeneity can be explained with the country, class level, and lecture moderator variables of the study in terms of the effect of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, and it has an impact on the students’ academic achievement in different lectures. Some subgroups were evaluated and categorized together, considering that the number of effect sizes of the sub-dimensions of the specified variables is not sufficient to perform moderator analysis (e.g. the countries where the studies were conducted).

2.6 Interpreting the effect sizes

Effect size is a factor that shows how much the independent variable affects the dependent variable positively or negatively in each included study in the meta-analysis (Dinçer, 2014 ). While interpreting the effect sizes obtained from the meta-analysis, the classifications of Cohen et al. ( 2007 ) have been utilized. The case of differentiating the specified relationships of the situation of the country, class level, and school subject variables of the study has been identified through the Q test, degree of freedom, and p significance value Fig.  1 and 2 .

3 Findings and results

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement. Before determining the effect sizes in the study, the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

When the funnel plots are examined, it is seen that the studies included in the analysis are distributed symmetrically on both sides of the combined effect size axis, and they are generally collected in the middle and lower sections. The probability of publication bias is low according to the plots. However, since the results of the funnel scatter plots may cause subjective interpretations, they have been supported by additional analyses (Littell et al., 2008 ). Therefore, in order to provide an extra proof for the probability of publication bias, it has been analyzed through Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test (Table 2 ).

Table 2 consists of the results of the rates of publication bias probability before counting the effect size of online education on academic achievement. According to the table, Orwin Safe N analysis results show that it is not necessary to add new studies to the meta-analysis in order for Hedges g to reach a value outside the range of ± 0.01. The Duval and Tweedie test shows that excluding the studies that negatively affect the symmetry of the funnel scatter plots for each meta-analysis or adding their exact symmetrical equivalents does not significantly differentiate the calculated effect size. The insignificance of the Egger tests results reveals that there is no publication bias in the meta-analysis study. The results of the analysis indicate the high internal validity of the effect sizes and the adequacy of representing the studies conducted on the relevant subject.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement after testing the publication bias. In line with the first purpose of the study, the forest graph regarding the effect size of online education on academic achievement is shown in Fig.  3 , and the statistics regarding the effect size are given in Table 3 .

The flow chart of the scanning and selection process of the studies

Funnel plot graphics representing the effect size of the effects of online education on academic success

Forest graph related to the effect size of online education on academic success

The square symbols in the forest graph in Fig.  3 represent the effect sizes, while the horizontal lines show the intervals in 95% confidence of the effect sizes, and the diamond symbol shows the overall effect size. When the forest graph is analyzed, it is seen that the lower and upper limits of the combined effect sizes are generally close to each other, and the study loads are similar. This similarity in terms of study loads indicates the similarity of the contribution of the combined studies to the overall effect size.

Figure  3 clearly represents that the study of Liu and others (Liu et al., 2018 ) has the lowest, and the study of Ercan and Bilen ( 2014 ) has the highest effect sizes. The forest graph shows that all the combined studies and the overall effect are positive. Furthermore, it is simply understood from the forest graph in Fig.  3 and the effect size statistics in Table 3 that the results of the meta-analysis study conducted with 27 studies and analyzing the effect of online education on academic achievement illustrate that this relationship is on average level (= 0.409).

After the analysis of the effect size in the study, whether the studies included in the analysis are distributed heterogeneously or not has also been analyzed. The heterogeneity of the combined studies was determined through the Q and I 2 tests. As a result of the heterogeneity test, Q statistical value was calculated as 29.576. With 26 degrees of freedom at 95% significance level in the chi-square table, the critical value is accepted as 38.885. The Q statistical value (29.576) counted in this study is lower than the critical value of 38.885. The I 2 value, which is the complementary of the Q statistics, is 12.100%. This value indicates that the accurate heterogeneity or the total variability that can be attributed to variability between the studies is 12%. Besides, p value is higher than (0.285) p = 0.05. All these values [Q (26) = 29.579, p = 0.285; I2 = 12.100] indicate that there is a homogeneous distribution between the effect sizes, and fixed effects model should be used to interpret these effect sizes. However, some researchers argue that even if the heterogeneity is low, it should be evaluated based on the random effects model (Borenstein et al., 2007 ). Therefore, this study gives information about both models. The heterogeneity of the combined studies has been attempted to be explained with the characteristics of the studies included in the analysis. In this context, the final purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the country, academic level, and year variables on the findings. Accordingly, the statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the countries where the studies were conducted are given in Table 4 .

As seen in Table 4 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ significantly according to the countries where the studies were conducted in. Q test results indicate the heterogeneity of the relationships between the variables in terms of countries where the studies were conducted in. According to the table, the effect of online education on academic achievement was reported as the highest in other countries, and the lowest in the US. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 5 .

As seen in Table 5 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the class level. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in the 4 th class. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 6 .

As seen in Table 6 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the school subjects included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in ICT subject.

The obtained effect size in the study was formed as a result of the findings attained from primary studies conducted in 7 different countries. In addition, these studies are the ones on different approaches to online education (online learning environments, social networks, blended learning, etc.). In this respect, the results may raise some questions about the validity and generalizability of the results of the study. However, the moderator analyzes, whether for the country variable or for the approaches covered by online education, did not create significant differences in terms of the effect sizes. If significant differences were to occur in terms of effect sizes, we could say that the comparisons we will make by comparing countries under the umbrella of online education would raise doubts in terms of generalizability. Moreover, no study has been found in the literature that is not based on a special approach or does not contain a specific technique conducted under the name of online education alone. For instance, one of the commonly used definitions is blended education which is defined as an educational model in which online education is combined with traditional education method (Colis & Moonen, 2001 ). Similarly, Rasmussen ( 2003 ) defines blended learning as “a distance education method that combines technology (high technology such as television, internet, or low technology such as voice e-mail, conferences) with traditional education and training.” Further, Kerres and Witt (2003) define blended learning as “combining face-to-face learning with technology-assisted learning.” As it is clearly observed, online education, which has a wider scope, includes many approaches.

As seen in Table 7 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to online education approaches included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in Web Based Problem Solving Approach.

4 Conclusions and discussion

Considering the developments during the pandemics, it is thought that the diversity in online education applications as an interdisciplinary pragmatist field will increase, and the learning content and processes will be enriched with the integration of new technologies into online education processes. Another prediction is that more flexible and accessible learning opportunities will be created in online education processes, and in this way, lifelong learning processes will be strengthened. As a result, it is predicted that in the near future, online education and even digital learning with a newer name will turn into the main ground of education instead of being an alternative or having a support function in face-to-face learning. The lessons learned from the early period online learning experience, which was passed with rapid adaptation due to the Covid19 epidemic, will serve to develop this method all over the world, and in the near future, online learning will become the main learning structure through increasing its functionality with the contribution of new technologies and systems. If we look at it from this point of view, there is a necessity to strengthen online education.

In this study, the effect of online learning on academic achievement is at a moderate level. To increase this effect, the implementation of online learning requires support from teachers to prepare learning materials, to design learning appropriately, and to utilize various digital-based media such as websites, software technology and various other tools to support the effectiveness of online learning (Rolisca & Achadiyah, 2014 ). According to research conducted by Rahayu et al. ( 2017 ), it has been proven that the use of various types of software increases the effectiveness and quality of online learning. Implementation of online learning can affect students' ability to adapt to technological developments in that it makes students use various learning resources on the internet to access various types of information, and enables them to get used to performing inquiry learning and active learning (Hart et al., 2019 ; Prestiadi et al., 2019 ). In addition, there may be many reasons for the low level of effect in this study. The moderator variables examined in this study could be a guide in increasing the level of practical effect. However, the effect size did not differ significantly for all moderator variables. Different moderator analyzes can be evaluated in order to increase the level of impact of online education on academic success. If confounding variables that significantly change the effect level are detected, it can be spoken more precisely in order to increase this level. In addition to the technical and financial problems, the level of impact will increase if a few other difficulties are eliminated such as students, lack of interaction with the instructor, response time, and lack of traditional classroom socialization.

In addition, COVID-19 pandemic related social distancing has posed extreme difficulties for all stakeholders to get online as they have to work in time constraints and resource constraints. Adopting the online learning environment is not just a technical issue, it is a pedagogical and instructive challenge as well. Therefore, extensive preparation of teaching materials, curriculum, and assessment is vital in online education. Technology is the delivery tool and requires close cross-collaboration between teaching, content and technology teams (CoSN, 2020 ).

Online education applications have been used for many years. However, it has come to the fore more during the pandemic process. This result of necessity has brought with it the discussion of using online education instead of traditional education methods in the future. However, with this research, it has been revealed that online education applications are moderately effective. The use of online education instead of face-to-face education applications can only be possible with an increase in the level of success. This may have been possible with the experience and knowledge gained during the pandemic process. Therefore, the meta-analysis of experimental studies conducted in the coming years will guide us. In this context, experimental studies using online education applications should be analyzed well. It would be useful to identify variables that can change the level of impacts with different moderators. Moderator analyzes are valuable in meta-analysis studies (for example, the role of moderators in Karl Pearson's typhoid vaccine studies). In this context, each analysis study sheds light on future studies. In meta-analyses to be made about online education, it would be beneficial to go beyond the moderators determined in this study. Thus, the contribution of similar studies to the field will increase more.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of online education on academic achievement. In line with this purpose, the studies that analyze the effect of online education approaches on academic achievement have been included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies included in the meta-analysis is 1772. While the studies included in the meta-analysis were conducted in the US, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia, the studies carried out in Europe could not be reached. The reason may be attributed to that there may be more use of quantitative research methods from a positivist perspective in the countries with an American academic tradition. As a result of the study, it was found out that the effect size of online education on academic achievement (g = 0.409) was moderate. In the studies included in the present research, we found that online education approaches were more effective than traditional ones. However, contrary to the present study, the analysis of comparisons between online and traditional education in some studies shows that face-to-face traditional learning is still considered effective compared to online learning (Ahmad et al., 2016 ; Hamdani & Priatna, 2020 ; Wei & Chou, 2020 ). Online education has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of online learning compared to face-to-face learning in the classroom is the flexibility of learning time in online learning, the learning time does not include a single program, and it can be shaped according to circumstances (Lai et al., 2019 ). The next advantage is the ease of collecting assignments for students, as these can be done without having to talk to the teacher. Despite this, online education has several weaknesses, such as students having difficulty in understanding the material, teachers' inability to control students, and students’ still having difficulty interacting with teachers in case of internet network cuts (Swan, 2007 ). According to Astuti et al ( 2019 ), face-to-face education method is still considered better by students than e-learning because it is easier to understand the material and easier to interact with teachers. The results of the study illustrated that the effect size (g = 0.409) of online education on academic achievement is of medium level. Therefore, the results of the moderator analysis showed that the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ in terms of country, lecture, class level, and online education approaches variables. After analyzing the literature, several meta-analyses on online education were published (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Machtmes & Asher, 2000 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ). Typically, these meta-analyzes also include the studies of older generation technologies such as audio, video, or satellite transmission. One of the most comprehensive studies on online education was conducted by Bernard et al. ( 2004 ). In this study, 699 independent effect sizes of 232 studies published from 1985 to 2001 were analyzed, and face-to-face education was compared to online education, with respect to success criteria and attitudes of various learners from young children to adults. In this meta-analysis, an overall effect size close to zero was found for the students' achievement (g +  = 0.01).

In another meta-analysis study carried out by Zhao et al. ( 2005 ), 98 effect sizes were examined, including 51 studies on online education conducted between 1996 and 2002. According to the study of Bernard et al. ( 2004 ), this meta-analysis focuses on the activities done in online education lectures. As a result of the research, an overall effect size close to zero was found for online education utilizing more than one generation technology for students at different levels. However, the salient point of the meta-analysis study of Zhao et al. is that it takes the average of different types of results used in a study to calculate an overall effect size. This practice is problematic because the factors that develop one type of learner outcome (e.g. learner rehabilitation), particularly course characteristics and practices, may be quite different from those that develop another type of outcome (e.g. learner's achievement), and it may even cause damage to the latter outcome. While mixing the studies with different types of results, this implementation may obscure the relationship between practices and learning.

Some meta-analytical studies have focused on the effectiveness of the new generation distance learning courses accessed through the internet for specific student populations. For instance, Sitzmann and others (Sitzmann et al., 2006 ) reviewed 96 studies published from 1996 to 2005, comparing web-based education of job-related knowledge or skills with face-to-face one. The researchers found that web-based education in general was slightly more effective than face-to-face education, but it is insufficient in terms of applicability ("knowing how to apply"). In addition, Sitzmann et al. ( 2006 ) revealed that Internet-based education has a positive effect on theoretical knowledge in quasi-experimental studies; however, it positively affects face-to-face education in experimental studies performed by random assignment. This moderator analysis emphasizes the need to pay attention to the factors of designs of the studies included in the meta-analysis. The designs of the studies included in this meta-analysis study were ignored. This can be presented as a suggestion to the new studies that will be conducted.

Another meta-analysis study was conducted by Cavanaugh et al. ( 2004 ), in which they focused on online education. In this study on internet-based distance education programs for students under 12 years of age, the researchers combined 116 results from 14 studies published between 1999 and 2004 to calculate an overall effect that was not statistically different from zero. The moderator analysis carried out in this study showed that there was no significant factor affecting the students' success. This meta-analysis used multiple results of the same study, ignoring the fact that different results of the same student would not be independent from each other.

In conclusion, some meta-analytical studies analyzed the consequences of online education for a wide range of students (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ), and the effect sizes were generally low in these studies. Furthermore, none of the large-scale meta-analyzes considered the moderators, database quality standards or class levels in the selection of the studies, while some of them just referred to the country and lecture moderators. Advances in internet-based learning tools, the pandemic process, and increasing popularity in different learning contexts have required a precise meta-analysis of students' learning outcomes through online learning. Previous meta-analysis studies were typically based on the studies, involving narrow range of confounding variables. In the present study, common but significant moderators such as class level and lectures during the pandemic process were discussed. For instance, the problems have been experienced especially in terms of eligibility of class levels in online education platforms during the pandemic process. It was found that there is a need to study and make suggestions on whether online education can meet the needs of teachers and students.

Besides, the main forms of online education in the past were to watch the open lectures of famous universities and educational videos of institutions. In addition, online education is mainly a classroom-based teaching implemented by teachers in their own schools during the pandemic period, which is an extension of the original school education. This meta-analysis study will stand as a source to compare the effect size of the online education forms of the past decade with what is done today, and what will be done in the future.

Lastly, the heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

*Studies included in meta-analysis

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Ulum, H. The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study. Educ Inf Technol 27 , 429–450 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10740-8

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Advantages & Disadvantages of Distance Learning

Given the current unfavourable financial prerequisites and implications involved with traditional learning in the UK, it’s no wonder that distance learning – or ‘home learning’ or ‘e-learning’ – continues to soar as an alternative approach to higher education amongst individuals looking to gain a certified qualification. Around 21% of British people have completed an online learning course of some kind.

Anybody qualifies for distance learning courses but most distance learners tend to be people who are too busy with other responsibilities – be it work, family or both – to commit to a full-time, traditional course at a higher education institution.

Under these circumstances, to be able to study in the comfort of your own home and work at your own pace is generally far more appealing than the idea of travelling long distances and struggling to keep up with peers.

Here at Oxford Learning College, we appreciate that studying a course online might not be for everyone – which is why we’ve summarised a few of the main advantages and disadvantages of distance learning to help you decide for yourself if it’s going to be right for you.

Advantages of Distance Learning

There are many distance learning advantages for those who want a change from traditional classroom-based, in-person learning. Let’s take a look at some of the key advantages of online learning below.

Flexibility

Flexibility is of course the key benefit of e-learning. Unlike traditional courses, you don’t have to plan your entire day around your studies; your studies can be planned around other responsibilities.

At the beginning of a course, you’ll be given deadlines for various modules and coursework assignments, and it’s up to you to decide when, where, and for how long you are going to study. You can also study around other commitments like work or family time, giving you freedom to create a work-study balance.

A homely, quiet learning space with comfy sofas, cups of tea and an ample supply of biscuits at your fingertips versus a crowded, stuffy lecture theatre with a desk the size of a cookbook and no light refreshments in sight; there is no competition really, especially when you consider the added stress of actually getting to the latter.

A peaceful and agreeable learning environment brings out the best in any learner, and courses from home are more likely to help establish this. For those who find a busy classroom or lecture hall overwhelming, studying at home can provide a much more productive environment.

Instant Support & Updates

Another of the main advantages of online education is that everything is instantaneous. Tutors are able to quickly create and communicate updates to courses just as easily as students are able to receive and respond to such changes and messages.

Online support is nearly always available at the click of a mouse, either through instant or, probably in most cases, video messaging services, and lectures can be delivered to thousands of students at a time, with none of the squinting or fear of speaking up you get with university lectures.

Cost of Online Learning

As you might expect, the cost of implementing online learning courses is much lower than that of traditional courses, where hiring classrooms, printing necessary course materials, and the physical presence of staff at lectures are basic requirements.

Thus, the cost for students is significantly reduced too, and they can be assured that more of the money they do spend is being invested on actually improving/researching courses, rather than on imposed overheads. This is another of the benefits of distance learning that appeals to students.

Distance Learning is Eco-friendly

Needless to say, distance learning provides an alternative to paper-based learning and students don’t have to travel to and from lectures, meaning the CO2 emissions are reduced substantially.

Energy is also saved on lighting and heating large lecture halls and electronic equipment that might be used in classroom settings.

Disadvantages of Distance Learning

As we mentioned earlier, distance learning may not be the right choice for everyone. While there are plenty of benefits of e-learning, there are some things you should consider if you’re unsure if it will work for you.

Here are some of the possible disadvantages of online learning for some people.

You Need to be Disciplined

With greater learner autonomy comes greater responsibility, particularly where discipline and organisation are concerned. Distance learners can’t afford to take their eye off the ball even for just a couple of days, since there is nobody around to remind them of deadlines or incredibly important announcements.

It is essential that emails are checked and study timetables are stuck to, no matter what, or else students will quickly fall behind.

Isolation and Lack of Community

Although studying at home may create a more comfortable learning environment, students are of course left to tackle the course without the support and camaraderie of fellow peers, and as a result, can become frustrated or demotivated.

Furthermore, distance learning centres are often few and far between so face-to-face encounters are very rare. Social network groups offer an adequate alternative but naturally learners will feel more confident about discussing course content if they have previously met their peers.

Hands-off Learning Approach

Online learning doesn’t appeal to all learning styles so some people may find that they don’t enjoy the experience. Anyone suited to practical, hands-on learning, for example, will have to adapt to the new approach and might find they get easily frustrated.

Similarly, learners who feel they benefit strongly from going over learned material in small groups will find the process more challenging.

Technical Issues

Most can relate to the infuriation brought about by a computer randomly switching itself off when work hasn’t been saved, or a poor internet connection preventing you from reading and responding to emails. For distance learners, however, the repercussions of such disastrous moments are far greater.

No working device or no internet means you are completely locked out, so it’s crucial that all your devices are functioning properly and you have a reliable internet connection wherever you plan to work.

Diminished Social Life!

Unfortunately, there’s no way around this one; your social life will be impacted by your studies and you must have the discipline to both accept and endure this. However, all those Friday nights spent sitting in front of a computer screen researching or re-editing (for the fifth time) a 2500-word assignment will pay off in the long run, and you’ll have saved a good deal of pub money too. Just focus on tea and biscuits instead of lager and crisps, and you’ll be fine.

For more detail on our Distance Learning courses head over to our courses page, or, if you’re already signed up, check out our post on top time management tips for distance learners !

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Argumentative Essay: Online Learning and Educational Access

Conventional learning is evolving with the help of computers and online technology. New ways of learning are now available, and improved access is one of the most important benefits available. People all around the world are experiencing improved mobility as a result of the freedom and potential that online learning provides, and as academic institutions and learning organisations adopt online learning technologies and remote-access learning, formal academic education is becoming increasingly legitimate. This essay argues the contemporary benefits of online learning, and that these benefits significantly outweigh the issues, challenges and disadvantages of online learning.

Online learning is giving people new choices and newfound flexibility with their personal learning and development. Whereas before, formal academic qualifications could only be gained by participating in a full time course on site, the internet has allowed institutions to expand their reach and offer recognized courses on a contact-partial, or totally virtual, basis. Institutions can do so with relatively few extra resources, and for paid courses this constitutes excellent value, and the student benefits with greater educational access and greater flexibility to learn and get qualified even when there lots of other personal commitments to deal with.

Flexibility is certainly one of the most important benefits, but just as important is educational access. On top of the internet’s widespread presence in developed countries, the internet is becoming increasingly available in newly developed and developing countries. Even without considering the general informational exposure that the internet delivers, online academic courses and learning initiatives are becoming more aware of the needs of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this means that people from such backgrounds are in a much better position to learn and progress than they used to be.

The biggest argument that raises doubt over online learning is the quality of online courses in comparison to conventional courses. Are such online courses good enough for employers to take notice? The second biggest argument is the current reality that faces many people from disadvantaged backgrounds, despite the improvements made in this area in recent years – they do not have the level of basic access needed to benefit from online learning. In fact, there are numerous sources of evidence that claim disadvantaged students are not receiving anywhere near the sort of benefits that online learning institutions and promoters are trying to instigate. Currently there are many organisations, campaigns and initiatives that are working to expand access to higher education. With such high participation, it can be argued that it is only a matter of time before the benefits are truly realised, but what about the global online infrastructure?

There is another argument that is very difficult to dispel, and that is the response of different types of students to the online learning paradigm. Evidence shows that there are certain groups of students that benefit from college distance learning much more than other groups. In essence, students must be highly motivated and highly disciplined if they are to learn effectively in their own private environment.

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The pros and cons of online learning

What to look for in an online course.

By: MIT xPRO

If you’re at a point in your life where you’re considering continuing your education, you may wonder if online learning is the right path for you.

Taking an online course requires a notable investment of time, effort, and money, so it’s important to feel confident about your decision before moving forward. While online learning works incredibly well for some people, it’s not for everyone.

We recently sat down with MIT xPRO Senior Instructional Designer and Program Manager Luke Hobson to explore the pros and cons of online learning and what to look for in an online course. If you’re waiting for a sign about whether or not to enroll in that course you’ve been eying, you just might find it here.

Pros of Online Learning

First, let’s take a look at the true value of online learning by examining some of the benefits:

1. Flexibility

Online learning’s most significant advantage is its flexibility. It’s the reason millions of adults have chosen to continue their education and pursue certificates and degrees.

Asynchronous courses allow learners to complete work at their own pace, empowering them to find the optimal time to consume the content and submit assignments.

Some people are more attentive, focused, and creative in the mornings compared to the evenings and vice versa. Whatever works best for the learners should be the priority of the learning experience.

2. Community

When Luke asks people about their main reason for enrolling in a course, a common answer is networking and community.

Learners crave finding like-minded individuals who are going through the same experiences and have the same questions. They want to find a place where they belong. Being in the company of others who understand what they’re going through can help online learners who are looking for support and motivation during challenging times and times that are worth celebrating.

Some learners have created study groups and book clubs that have carried on far beyond the end of the course-it’s amazing what can grow from a single post on a discussion board!

3. Latest information

“Speed is a massive benefit of online learning,” and according to Luke, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

“When we say speed, we don’t mean being quick with learning. We mean actual speed to market. There are so many new ideas evolving within technical spaces that it’s impossible to keep courses the way they were originally designed for a long period of time.”

Luke notes that a program on Additive Manufacturing , Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality , or Nanotechnology must be checked and updated frequently. More formal learning modalities have difficulty changing content at this rapid pace. But within the online space, it’s expected that the course content will change as quickly as the world itself does.

Cons of Online Learning

Now that we’ve looked at some of the biggest pros of online learning, let’s examine a few of the drawbacks:

1. Learning environment

While many learners thrive in an asynchronous learning environment, others struggle. Some learners prefer live lessons and an instructor they can connect with multiple times a week. They need these interactions to feel supported and to persist.

Most learners within the online space identify themselves as self-directed learners, meaning they can learn on their own with the right environment, guidance, materials, and assignments. Learners should know themselves first and understand their preferences when it comes to what kind of environment will help them thrive.

2. Repetition

One drawback of online courses is that the structure can be repetitive: do a reading, respond to two discussion posts, submit an essay, repeat. After a while, some learners may feel disengaged from the learning experience.

There are online courses that break the mold and offer multiple kinds of learning activities, assessments, and content to make the learning experience come alive, but it may take some research to find them-more on what to look for in an online course later in this article! Luke and his colleagues at MIT xPRO are mindful of designing courses that genuinely engage learners from beginning to end.

3. Underestimation

Luke has noticed that some learners underestimate how much work is required in an online course. They may mistakenly believe that online learning is somehow “easier” compared to in-person learning.

For those learners who miscalculate how long they will need to spend online or how challenging the assignments can be, changing that mindset is a difficult process. It’s essential to set aside the right amount of time per week to contribute to the content, activities, and assignments. Creating personal deadlines and building a study routine are two best practices that successful online learners follow to hold themselves accountable.

Experience the Value of Online Learning: What to Look For in an Online Course

You’ve probably gathered by now that not all online courses are created equal. On one end of the spectrum, there are methods of online learning that leave learners stunned by what a great experience they had. On the other end of the spectrum, some online learning courses are so disappointing that learners regret their decision to enroll.

If you want to experience the value of online learning, it’s essential to pick the right course. Here’s a quick list of what to look for:

• Feedback and connection to peers within the course platform. Interacting regularly with other learners makes a big difference. Luke and the MIT xPRO team use peer-reviewed feedback to give learners the opportunity to engage with each other’s work.
• Proof of hard work. In the online learning space, proof of hard work often comes in the form of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or specific certifications. MIT xPRO course participants who successfully complete one or more courses are eligible to receive CEUs , which many employers, licensing agencies, and professional associations accept as evidence of a participant’s serious commitment to their professional development.

Online learning isn’t for everyone, but with the right approach, it can be a valuable experience for many people. Now that you know what to look for in an online course, see what Luke and the MIT xPRO instructional design team have to offer by checking out the latest MIT xPRO courses and programs .

Originally published at http://curve.mit.edu on August 8th, 2022.

The pros and cons of online learning was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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15 Benefits of Distance Learning for Students, Parents, and Teachers

Today’s learning environments take full advantage of new technology to make lessons more interactive and engaging. As a result, educators are seeing the benefits of distance learning and finding ways to include those opportunities in their curriculum. 

What are the pros of distance learning? Though the shift to remote learning might’ve been jarring at first, let’s look at how this new learning opportunity can benefit students, educators, and parents alike.

Top strategies for stronger distance learning

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6 Advantages of Distance Learning for Students

No more forgotten homework.

With coursework and school resources digitized, students have instant access everything they need. Now, keeping track of assignments, tests, and projects as simple as checking your phone. Not only does this mean that students don’t have to lug heavy backpacks around quite as much, but it also means students can stay organized. As a bonus, they’ll be able to learn how to navigate these resources on their own.

Reduced Social Anxiety

Education is not ‘one size fits all’. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , approximately 15 million Americans suffer from a social anxiety disorder, or SAD. Many of these cases start around the time a child is 13. For students who experience social anxiety, traditional school can pose a number of problems. From the school bus to the classroom to the cafeteria, students may be overwhelmed by the various social situations and dynamics packed into a single school day. With online school or virtual classes, students may be able to feel more confident in their interactions and perform better in their studies.

Flexible Scheduling Opportunities

For many students, school is only one half of the story. Trying to schedule work shifts with school (and homework) can be overwhelming for students. Luckily, distance learning offers more flexibility with scheduling than traditional classes. Students may have an easier time balancing both work and school with virtual classes. While education is important, every family and student’s financial situation is different, and distance learning helps to accommodate that reality.

Stay Healthy and Keep Others Safe

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of wearing masks and maintaining social distance as a way of protecting each other. With distance learning, children can stay home when sick without missing out on too many lessons. Not only is this a more comfortable way to learn when they’re under the weather, but it also shows the teacher that you value the well-being of the entire class.

Accessibility for Everyone

Though the world continues to make strides, there are unfortunately still places that aren’t accessible to everyone. Adding remote learning to your education system opens up new doors for students who can’t always make it to a physical classroom. Allowing students to learn where they are comfortable also reduces missed lessons and contributes to better learning.

Related: How to Build the Foundation of an Accessible Online Course

Self-Paced Learning

Offering students the chance to learn at their own pace comes with many advantages. Students can feel more engaged in the material without the additional pressure from classmates—whether they’re worried about being a ‘know-it-all’ or if they’re concerned they’re falling behind. Because remote learning is often more self-paced, students can review the material as often as needed and advance past already known subjects.

5 Benefits of Distance Learning for Parents and Educators

No more commute.

Distance learning and remote education have one big thing in common — there’s no commute. That means you save on gas money and time. You also don’t have to constantly worry about when the school bus is arriving. Enjoy the extra time in your day!

Works With Atypical Work Schedules

If you have an opposing work schedule from your child’s school schedule, this arrangement frees both of you up a little more. With more flexibility and less commuting, your schedules can work better together. Sometimes, it’s a nice break to have a different daytime structure.

Parents Can Get to Know Their Child’s Classmates

If your child has a very wide friend group, you might not have been able to meet them all just yet. But if you get to casually sit in on a digital study session, you’ll be more aware of what’s going on in your child’s social life.

Parents Can See What Their Child is Learning

Some children can be very chatty about their school day. Others, not so much. By being able to listen in on particular lectures, parents can turn the information learned into meaningful conversations, furthering their child’s learning experience. It’s important for parents to show interest in their child’s education. With distance learning, that’s easier than ever.

Reduced Overall Cost of School

Especially in America, students have more overall costs to their education—things like housing, meals, and transportation—and that’s in addition to tuition fees . Just living on campus for a single year can add $10,000-$20,000 onto their bill. 

Allowing students to learn from remote locations (by working with tools such as smart whiteboard technology) can save them quite a bit of money. With school costs down, students can maximize their learning experience by spending more time studying and less time fretting over financials.

Related: Best Practices for Distance Learning

4 Ways Distance Learning Positively Effects Life Skills

Make the most out of digital whiteboards.

Having a smart whiteboard can be extremely beneficial, especially when it comes to sharing documents and conversing with the class over Zoom . Being able to see the rest of the class on such a wide screen can keep students more focused and alert for the lesson itself. Smart whiteboards also encourage collaborative learning. Students can work on the same digital canvas simultaneously with other students to bring the best of in-person learning to the virtual class environment.

Prepare Students to Work From Home in the Future

While there are a lot of benefits to distance learning, working remotely has even more benefits. For one, adults can work on home projects while also staying connected to their team in the office. Many have found that a work-life balance is far more achievable with remote work. And here’s the thing: remote work is here to stay. When your child grows up, they may also end up working from home. Having them practice the art of staying motivated and productive at a young age is great practice for the future.

Distance Learning Teaches Time Management

While some students may find distance learning difficult, it gives them the chance to develop time management skills . These essential skills will help maintain a work-life balance and offer students an opportunity to complete projects before deadlines. Teaching students how to better manage their spare time can be challenging, but also worthwhile. 

Related: Get the Most Out of Your Learning Management System

Broader Networking Opportunities

While they may miss out on the chance to network locally with peers, students often gain a more significant network when they switch over to remote learning. Suddenly, the entire world is at their fingertips. This kind of opportunity can open many doors for both high school and college students. For example, let’s say your child wants to learn a new style of culinary cooking. Before distance learning, their options would be limited to local teachers and classes. Now, they can learn from masters all around the world in virtual classes.

Disadvantages of Distance Learning

Although there are many different advantages to distance education, there can be some places where students struggle. Being aware of these pitfalls can help them prepare to make the most of distance learning in a digital era.

Some disadvantages of remote learning include the following:

Strong Self-Motivation is Required

Because students are in control of setting aside time to learn and complete assignments, they must be able to focus. Learning on their own requires a sense of responsibility, self-control, and the willpower to work on things even when the subject matter is challenging or motivation is lacking. Not everyone can do this by themselves. Consider pairing your student up with an accountability partner from their class.

May Hinder Student’s Communication Skill Development

Because most of the learning is done digitally, a virtual classroom may result in little human interaction with others. This can make it difficult for younger students or those who struggle with communication to further develop those skills. There’s also the learning curve of having to communicate via a device. Zoom fatigue is a very real thing, and virtual communicating requires a different skill set than in-person.

Lack of Practical Experience

While you can learn many things through videos, some skills require physical exercises to learn properly. Even simulators cannot replace live practice. For example, a vet tech can learn a lot through online courses, but hands-on experience is important for proper evaluation and diagnosis.

The Problem of User Identification

Currently, the most effective way to evaluate students is through tests. While most credits are given through honesty, the only way to verify the absorbed knowledge is with virtual proctors or additional surveillance during test periods. That’s not always possible, so many schools still rely on in-person exams.

Related: Distance, Hybrid, and Blended Learning: What’s the Difference?

The Future of Distance Learning

Schools that switched to mostly digital learning in the past year might not be ready to return to in-person lessons quite yet. In some cases, schools are planning to offer a hybrid learning curriculum. That’s because students, educators, and parents alike have all noted the benefits of distance learning that make it an incredibly viable long-term option. 

This new age of learning has opened new doors for people to learn in a new way. Distance learning connects students to the right teachers and allows for a more broad scope of subjects. As technology expands and distance learning continues to be relevant, education technology will only improve.

Learn how to make Vibe an integral part of your distance and hybrid learning classroom by registering for one of our upcoming webinars , or check out our Teacher and Educator FAQs .

[ Editor’s note: this post was originally published July 3, 2021, and was updated Feb 7, 2023. ]

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Distance Learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

Introduction, the essence of distance learning, advantages and disadvantages of distance learning, works cited.

Computer and information technologies have significantly affected all spheres of human life. These technologies have also changed the field of education, since the improvement and development of this direction is one of the main mechanisms that make up the public life of the United States. Thus, a new form of distance learning has appeared in modern human life, which, along with the traditional form, has taken an important place in our society. This kind of training allows not only to study but also to improve the qualification level of its users.

The research paper offered to the reader is devoted to the concept of distance learning, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The question of the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning has been in the focus of research attention especially against the background of a general quarantine, which justifies the actuality of this topic. To facilitate the preparation of this final project, the author formulates the problem in several forms of proposals, namely:

• Analysis of the phenomenon of distance learning.
• Analysis of the pros and cons of distance learning.

This study focuses on analyzing the pros and cons of distance learning, as well as predicting its further application. The results of this study are of practical use, because they will be of interest to students and teachers who are choosing whether to switch to remote learning.

Sawsan Abuhammad, the Assistant Professor in Jordan University of Science and Technology, in his article “Barriers to distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative review from parents’ perspective” (2020) states the following. The author claims that many parents have faced serious problems in the process of distance learning of their children. The author believes that the barriers that arose among the parents were of a personal, financial and technical nature. The author also states that these barriers need to be eliminated with the help of some changes, including through communication with other parents and students.

The author used the social network Facebook to recognize local groups, as well as keywords including distance learning, parents and Jordan. The author used a general qualitative method and analyzed all the messages and posts of parents related to this topic. This article was written by the author in order to describe and clarify the ideas of parents about the obstacles to distance learning during the coronavirus crisis (Abuhammad). The main audience of this article is parents, as well as persons representing the government and making decisions regarding distance learning. Thus, in the process of distance learning, many parents have various barriers that need to be overcome. We intend to use this source to demonstrate the problems and difficulties of distance learning.

Živko Bojović, Petar D. Bojović, Dušan Vujošević and Jelena Šuh, in their article “Education in times of crisis: Rapid transition to distance learning” (2020), state the following. They claim that the pandemic crisis has a negative effect on the standard of living and education. The authors believe that violation can pose a serious threat, and therefore a working model is needed that will allow switching from the traditional form of training to distance learning quickly and painlessly. The authors also argue that distance learning is acceptable on a long-term basis, if it is implemented correctly.

The authors of this article used a modeling method that allowed them to determine organizational and technical solutions for maintaining the quality of teaching. In addition, the authors used the method of comparative analysis of the survey data of students and teachers. The article was written by the authors in order to facilitate the transition from traditional learning to distance learning against the background of the pandemic and quarantine (Bojović et al.). The model developed by them has many advantages and thoughtful solutions. The main audience of this article is teachers and other representatives of educational institutions who face the difficult task of implementing distance learning. We intend to use this article to better understand the essence of distance learning, as well as its advantages.

Tim Surma and Paul A. Kirschner in their article, “Technology enhanced distance learning should not forget how learning happens” (2020), state the following. They believe that the traditional type of learning is under threat due to the accelerated process of adapting the traditional learning process to a new, remote one. They argue that modern technologies are both a danger and a chance for education to reach a completely new level.

The authors of this article used the methods of surveys and interviews to find out the attitude of students and teachers to the new form of education, and to track the progress in learning. This article was written by the authors in order to provide the importance of clear guidelines and optimal use of distance learning technologies (Surma and Kirschner). Moreover, the authors identified important principles that will help students get used to a new form of education, for example, feedback and an individual approach. The main audiences of this article are students, parents and teachers who will be interested in this information for the successful implementation of distance learning. We intend to use this article to understand the possible future prospects of the distance learning method.

John Traxler, the Professor of Digital Learning in the Institute of Education at the University of Wolverhampton, in his article, “Distance Learning—Predictions and Possibilities” (2018), states the following. The author claims that the definition of distance learning is not clear, but vague and changeable. The author considers the process of distance learning in a global context and studies the issue of adaptation and implementation of distance learning. The author believes that people should be ready for global changes, be open and aware, since changes are inevitable.

The author of this article uses observation and comparison methods that allow determining the essence of distance learning, the danger of pressure on educational institutions, as well as the importance of innovations in education. This article was written by the author in order to create a complete understanding of the phenomenon of distance education in a global context (Traxler). In addition, this article demonstrates the difficulties of distance learning application in conditions of ignorance or isolation. The main audience of this article is teachers, students and parents who want to get acquainted in more detail with the concept of distance learning in a global context. We intend to use this article to learn more about what distance learning is, as well as its goals and objectives.

The main benefit of distance learning is that it allows a person to study anywhere, but requires a computer and the Internet. The material is easily accessible and easy to handle and structure, and it also has all the necessary features that students of higher educational institutions need. In addition, the student is free to build their own individual training schedule, depending on their free time and desire to study (Lassoued et al.). The difference between classical distance learning and its more advanced form is small – the lack of personal communication between students and teachers (Bojović et al.). In this paper, the pros and cons of distance learning will be considered, but first it is required to understand the very essence of distance learning.

In the process of remote learning, students and teachers are at a significant spatial and temporal distance from each other. Teachers use a variety of computer technologies to make the process of remote learning as interesting and useful for students as possible (Schneider and Council). Distance type of education has an important goal-to expand opportunities and provide new services for those people who want to acquire new skills or change their profession. There are six main forms of distance learning, which are the most common.

• external education;
• university education;
• training that involves the cooperation of several educational institutions;
• creation of specialized institutions where distance classes are held;
• autonomous learning systems;
• special multimedia courses that differ in a certain informal component.

At the same time, different technologies are combined: pedagogical, informational, and often andragogic. There is a British synchronous model of distance learning and an American asynchronous one. Distance education is a new, specific form of education, somewhat different from the usual forms of full-time or distance learning (Dietrich et al.). As for the present, the real contingent of potential students can include those who are often on business trips, military personnel, women on maternity leave, and people with physical disabilities. In addition, this category consists of those who want to get additional education with a lack of time. Distance learning has several key characteristics that are important to consider when analyzing this type of learning.

• flexible and convenient schedule of classes;
• modularity;
• mass character;
• active mutual communication and a variety of communication tools;
• the totality of knowledge and orientation to the independence of students, to the motivation of learning.

Indeed, the effectiveness of distance learning directly depends on those teachers who work with students on the Internet. Such teachers should be psychologically ready to work with students in a new educational and cognitive network environment. Another problem is the infrastructure of student information support in networks. The question of what the structure and composition of the educational material should be remains open. Also, the question is raised about the conditions of access to distance learning courses.

Analyzing the components of distance learning related to the educational institution, they can determine the structure of the network system. It should include educational material submitted in the form of programs, tasks, control and graduation papers, and scientific and practical assistance (Costa et al.). The student should be provided with fundamental printed textbooks, teaching aids, and hypertext multimedia programs (Arthur-Nyarko et al.). Additional materials may include lectures prepared by teachers on disciplines that can be transmitted via the network. In addition, distance learning provides communication in various modes, teacher advice on implementing term papers, theses, or other final work.

The essential component of distance learning is the ability to consider situations that are close to reality. In addition, important elements are creating conditions for the self-realization of students, the disclosure of their potential, the systematic learning process, the individuality of the approach (Bojović et al.). This component is the basis of academic and cognitive activity and affects the quality of distance learning.

Electronic versions of textbooks, which became the basis for the creation of distance courses and traditional books, do not solve the problems of independent activity in obtaining knowledge. These software products only create a virtual learning environment in which distance learning is carried out. Here there are psychological problems, such as inexperience, lack of self-education skills, poor volitional self-regulation, the influence of group attitudes, etc. When developing distance learning programs, it is crucial to carefully plan classes, including each of them with the setting of learning goals and objectives.

If interpersonal communication between students and the teacher is ineffective, there is a possibility of a communication barrier. If this happens, the information is delivered in a distorted form, which leads to the fact that there is a threat of the cognitive barrier growing into a relationship barrier. The barrier of relations turns into a feeling of distrust and hostility towards information and its source.

There are also many disadvantages in distance learning that should be listed and that cannot be ignored. It is worth starting with technical and methodological problems, including ignoring the psychological laws of perception and assimilation of information using multimedia tools of different modalities. There are also methodological problems, including the complexity of developing electronic versions of traditional educational materials, primarily textbooks and practical manuals.

Many students and experts believe that distance learning has many indisputable and obvious advantages.

• A student studying remotely independently plans their schedule and decides how much time to devote to studying.
• The opportunity to study anywhere. Students studying remotely are not tied to a place or time, as they only need an Internet connection.
• Study on the job from the main activity. Distance learning allows to work or study at several courses at the same time to get additional education.
• High learning outcomes. Remote students study the necessary material independently, which allows them to better memorize and assimilate knowledge.
• Distance learning is much cheaper, since it does not require expenses for accommodation and travel, as well as for a foreign passport if the university is located abroad.
• Remote education provides a calm environment, as exams and communication with teachers are held online, which allows students to avoid anxiety.
• Teachers who conduct remote classes have the opportunity to do additional things, cover a larger number of students, as well as teach while, for example, on maternity leave.
• Remote learning allows teachers to use a more individual approach to their students, as well as to devote a sufficient amount of time to all students.

Experiments have confirmed that the quality and structure of training courses, as well as the quality of teaching in distance learning is often much better than in traditional forms of education. New electronic technologies can not only ensure the active involvement of students in the educational process, but also allow them to manage this process, unlike most traditional educational environments (Arthur-Nyarko et al.). The interactive capabilities of the programs and information delivery systems used in the distance learning system make it possible to establish and even stimulate feedback. Despite the predominant number of advantages of distance education, this system is not perfect. During the implementation of e-learning programs, the following problems of distance education were identified.

• Remote learning requires strong concentration and motivation. Almost all the educational material is mastered by a remote student independently. Remote classes require students to have perseverance and developed patience.
• In the process of distance learning, it is difficult to develop interpersonal communication skills, since contact with teachers and other students is minimal.
• In the process of distance learning, it is quite difficult to acquire practical skills, thus, specialties that require practical skills suffer.
• The problem of user identification. It is difficult to track whether a student wrote their exam honestly, since the only way to check this is video surveillance, which is not always possible.
• Insufficient computer literacy. In every country there are remote areas where there is no direct access to the Internet. Moreover, often the residents of such areas do not have any desire to learn, so it is necessary to spread computer literacy.

It is required to start by creating special Internet conferences and forums in schools that would guarantee the relative “live” communication of groups of students to deal with disadvantages (Chen et al.). It is also necessary to cooperate with traditional and distance learning, cooperation between teachers and students using a broad terminological and methodological base of psychology and pedagogy (Abuhammad). Despite all these problems, distance learning is very much appreciated by psychologists and teachers (Traxler). Nevertheless, the complete replacement of traditional education systems with similar ones-distance ones still causes some caution. One thing is indisputable – remotely studying students are more adapted to external conditions, are responsible and active, and therefore more successful in the modern business world.

Speaking about the distance form of education, it is necessary to talk about the creation of a single information and educational space. When it comes to distance learning, it is necessary to understand the presence of a teacher, a textbook and a student in the system, as well as the interaction of a teacher and students. It follows from this that the main thing in the organization of distance learning is the creation of electronic courses, the development of didactic foundations of distance learning, and the training of teachers-coordinators. It is not necessary to identify the distance form with the correspondence form of education, because it provides for constant contact with the teacher and imitation of all types of full-time training.

The dynamism of economic and socio-cultural processes in society causes changes in the field of education. Since the features of distance education are simply not acceptable for many students. Based on psychology and the methodology of independent learning, distance learning has some advantages and disadvantages. Summing up, we can unequivocally answer that distance education has a future. However, much depends on how quickly the problems of eliminating information illiteracy, technical equipment and improving the quality of e-education will be resolved. These factors arise during the implementation of remote scientific programs and projects. So, the factors and examples given above show the need to create and expand distance learning in the United States.

Abuhammad, Sawsan. “ Barriers to distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative review from parents’ perspective. ” Heliyon (2020): e05482. Web.

Arthur-Nyarko, Emmanuel, Douglas Darko Agyei, and Justice Kofi Armah. “Digitizing distance learning materials: Measuring students’ readiness and intended challenges.” Education and Information Technologies (2020): 1-16. Web.

Bojović, Živko, et al. “Education in times of crisis: Rapid transition to distance learning.” Computer Applications in Engineering Education 28.6 (2020): 1467-1489.

Chen, Emily, Kristie Kaczmarek, and Hiroe Ohyama. “Student perceptions of distance learning strategies during COVID‐19.” Journal of dental education (2020). Web.

Costa, Roberto D., et al. “The theory of learning styles applied to distance learning.” Cognitive Systems Research 64 (2020): 134-145. Web.

Dietrich, Nicolas, et al. “Attempts, successes, and failures of distance learning in the time of COVID-19.” Journal of Chemical Education 97.9 (2020): 2448-2457. Web.

Lassoued, Zohra, Mohammed Alhendawi, and Raed Bashitialshaaer. “ An exploratory study of the obstacles for achieving quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. ” Education Sciences 10.9 (2020): 232. Web.

Schneider, Samantha L., and Martha Laurin Council. “Distance learning in the era of COVID-19.” Archives of dermatological research 313.5 (2021): 389-390. Web.

Surma, Tim, and Paul A. Kirschner. “Technology enhanced distance learning should not forget how learning happens.” Computers in human behavior 110 (2020): 106390. Web.

Traxler, John. “ Distance learning—Predictions and possibilities. ” Education Sciences 8.1 (2018): 35. Web.

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Essay on Advantages of Classroom Education over Distance Learning

Table of Contents

Advantages of Classroom Education over Distance Learning

Introduction.

The world of education has witnessed a remarkable transformation in recent years, with the advent of technology paving the way for distance learning. While distance learning offers convenience and flexibility, classroom education remains a fundamental and invaluable mode of learning. This essay explores the advantages of classroom education over distance learning, highlighting the unique benefits it offers in terms of interaction, engagement, and holistic development.

• Interactive Learning Environment : One of the most significant advantages of classroom education is the interactive learning environment it provides. In a physical classroom, students have the opportunity to engage in real-time discussions, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback from instructors. This interaction fosters a deeper understanding of the subject matter and encourages critical thinking. In contrast, distance learning often relies on asynchronous communication, which can lead to a lack of engagement and a sense of isolation.
• Social Interaction and Networking : Classroom education promotes social interaction and networking, which are crucial for personal and professional growth. Students in a traditional classroom setting have the chance to build relationships with peers, collaborate on projects, and develop communication skills. These social connections can lead to valuable networking opportunities later in life. Distance learning, on the other hand, can be isolating, with limited opportunities for meaningful social interaction.
• Immediate Clarification : In a classroom, students can seek immediate clarification when they encounter difficulties or have questions. This instant access to assistance ensures that no concept is left unexplained, promoting a comprehensive understanding of the material. In contrast, distance learners may have to wait for responses to their queries, potentially leading to delays in their learning progress.
• Structured Learning Environment : Classroom education offers a structured and disciplined learning environment. Students attend classes at specific times, follow a set curriculum, and are guided by instructors who ensure that they cover essential topics. This structured approach helps students stay organized and focused on their studies. In contrast, distance learning often requires students to be more self-disciplined, which can be challenging for some individuals, leading to procrastination and a lack of accountability.
• Hands-on Learning : Some subjects, such as science and engineering, require hands-on learning experiences that are best provided in a physical classroom or laboratory setting. Classroom education allows students to conduct experiments, work with equipment, and engage in practical activities under the supervision of experts. Distance learning may struggle to replicate these hands-on experiences effectively.
• Personalized Attention : In a classroom setting, instructors can provide personalized attention to students, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and tailoring their teaching methods accordingly. This personalized approach ensures that no student is left behind and that individual learning needs are met. Distance learning platforms may lack this level of personalization, making it challenging for students who require extra support.
• Development of Soft Skills : Classroom education is conducive to the development of essential soft skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and time management. These skills are not only crucial for academic success but also for success in the professional world. The collaborative nature of classroom education fosters the development of these skills, which may not be as effectively cultivated in a distance learning environment.

While distance learning has its merits in terms of convenience and flexibility, classroom education continues to offer distinct advantages. Its interactive learning environment, social interaction opportunities, immediate clarification, structured approach, hands-on learning experiences, personalized attention, and soft skills development make it a valuable mode of education. Both classroom education and distance learning have their place in the modern educational landscape, but recognizing the unique benefits of classroom education is essential in ensuring a holistic and well-rounded education for students.

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Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Transportation — The Complexities and Responsibilities of Teenage Driving

The Complexities and Responsibilities of Teenage Driving

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

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Introduction, body paragraph 1: the risks of teenage driving, body paragraph 2: benefits of early driving education, body paragraph 3: enhancing safety and responsibility.

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Guest Essay

Harvard Should Say Less. Maybe All Schools Should.

By Noah Feldman and Alison Simmons

Dr. Feldman is a law professor and Dr. Simmons is a professor of philosophy, both at Harvard.

Last fall, Harvard University’s leadership found itself at the center of a highly public, highly charged fight about taking an official institutional position in connection with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza.

First, critics denounced the school for being too slow to issue a statement on the matter. Then, after a statement was released by Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, and 17 other senior Harvard officials, some critics attacked it for being insufficiently forceful in condemning the Hamas attack, while others criticized it for being insufficiently forceful in condemning Israel’s retaliation.

One of the many sources of confusion at the time was that Harvard, like many other universities, did not have a formal policy on when and whether to issue official statements. In the absence of a policy, Harvard not only had to figure out what to say or not say; it also had to deal with the perception that not issuing a statement, or not issuing one fast enough, would in effect be a statement, too.

Fortunately, Harvard now does have official guidance for a policy on university statements, in the form of a report issued on Tuesday by a faculty working group on which we served together as chairs, and endorsed by the president, provost and deans. The report recommends a policy based on both principle and pragmatism, one that we hope can enable Harvard — and any other school that might consider adopting a similar policy — to flourish in our highly polarized political era.

In brief, the report says that university leaders can and should speak out publicly to promote and protect the core function of the university, which is to create an environment suitable for pursuing truth through research, scholarship and teaching. If, for example, Donald Trump presses forward with his announced plan to take “billions and billions of dollars” from large university endowments to create an “American Academy” — a free, online school that would provide an “alternative” to current institutions — Harvard’s leadership can and should express its objections to this terrible idea.

It makes sense for university leaders to speak out on matters concerning the core function of the institution: That is their area of expertise as presidents, provosts and deans. But they should not, the report says, take official stands on other matters. They should not, for instance, issue statements of solidarity with Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, no matter how morally attractive or even correct that sentiment might be.

In addition, the report says, university leaders should make it clear to the public that when students and faculty members exercise their academic freedom to speak, they aren’t speaking on behalf of the university as a whole. The president doesn’t have to repeat this point with regard to every utterance made by the thousands of members of the university. But the university should clarify repeatedly, for as long as it takes to establish the point, that only its leadership can speak officially on its behalf.

This policy might remind some readers of the Kalven Report , a prominent statement of the value of academic “institutional neutrality” issued in 1967 by a University of Chicago committee chaired by the First Amendment scholar Harry Kalven Jr. But while our policy has some important things in common with the Kalven Report, which insisted that the university remain silently neutral on political and social issues, ours rests on different principles and has some different implications.

The principle behind our policy isn’t neutrality. Rather, our policy commits the university to an important set of values that drive the intellectual pursuit of truth: open inquiry, reasoned debate, divergent viewpoints and expertise. An institution committed to these values isn’t neutral, and shouldn’t be. It has to fight for its values, particularly when they are under attack, as they are now. Speaking publicly is one of the tools a university can use in that fight.

Take the use of affirmative action to achieve diversity in higher education admissions. Harvard argued in defense of this idea in the Supreme Court on several occasions — starting in 1978, when the court’s controlling opinion allowing diversity in admissions relied extensively on a brief that Harvard filed, through 2023, when the court rejected the use of race in diversity-based admissions. Harvard’s advocacy all along was far from neutral and would arguably have violated the Kalven principles. On our principles, however, Harvard was justified in speaking out forcefully in support of the method it long used to admit students, because admissions is a core function of the university.

We recognize that some observers, on both the left and the right, may interpret the timing of our report as an attempt to support some point of view they don’t like. That said, our recommended policy is designed not as a response to immediate events but as a response to the changed reality in which the university operates: a world of social media and polarized politics. Both put intense pressure on universities. Both cry out for a policy where before, none was demanded.

On social media, it can sometimes appear that anyone with a claim to Harvard affiliation speaks for the institution, even as we in the university know otherwise. We’re not naïve enough to think that just announcing a policy will change what the internet thinks. It will take repetition, emphasis and consistency to make the policy widely understood.

In an age of polarized politics, we also need a policy that will spare university leaders from having to spend all their time deciding which global and national events deserve statements and which statements from the university community merit official repudiation. On many, maybe most, important issues, no official statement made by the university could satisfy the many different constituencies on campus.

In formulating its recommendation, our faculty working group struggled with some challenges that don’t have great solutions. For example, we didn’t address, much less solve, the hard problem of when the university should or shouldn’t divest its endowment funds from a given portfolio. The Kalven Report claimed that a decision to divest is a statement in itself and so the university shouldn’t do it. In contrast, we saw divestment as an action rather than a statement the university makes. We therefore treated it as outside our mandate, even though symbolic meaning can be attached to it, just as it can to other actions (including investing in the first place). Our report encourages the university to explain its actions and decisions on investment and divestment — much as Harvard’s President Larry Bacow did in 2021 when the university decided to reduce its investments in fossil fuels, and much as President Derek Bok did when the university didn’t divest from South Africa in the 1980s — but that’s all.

Our committee members represented a wide range of academic specialties and points of view. We disagreed, and still disagree, about a lot. At a university, that’s both normal and highly desirable. Ultimately, a university is a community unified by a commitment to trying to get it right, not by a single answer to what is right in every case. Where we converged was on the belief that the university must protect and defend its critically important role and that it undermines its core function if it speaks officially on matters outside it.

Noah Feldman ( @NoahRFeldman ) is a law professor and Alison Simmons is a professor of philosophy, both at Harvard.

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