Traditional vs Distance Education

Education is an essential element in societies throughout the world. For many years education has been provided in classrooms on campuses worldwide, but there has been a change made to the conventional method of classroom learning. With the advancements in technology, education has been restructured so that it may be accessible to everyone through taking courses online. Distance learning takes place when the teacher and student are separated from one another due to their physical location and technology is used to communicate instructions to the student and to communicate feedback to the instructor. The virtual classroom is one of the various forms of technology used as an alternative to the traditional classroom settings. Other tools used to educate from a distance include audio, video, data, and print.

Accessibility to technology and knowledge of certain software application are needed to be able to successfully take an online course. A student must know how to use a computer, so that they can communicate with an instructor, submit any assignments, and also communicate with peers. The other requirement a student must meet is having access to a computer system. Having a system at home is the best method, but being able to use a computer at work or another reliable location may be beneficial as well.

The effectiveness of online education is constantly being analyzed. Since online education is fairly new, research on it is critical at this time. Findings are showing that online education is just as effective as traditional education, based on the comparison of grades, but online education is not surpassing traditional education at this time. Depending on the proper implementation of technological tools used for online courses, it can have a great impact on the effectiveness of distance learning.

Only a selective few are ideal candidates for online education. Self motivated and

Distance learning through online education is a great