As we’re all very well aware, covid-19 governed most of 2020 and 2021. It had a deep impact on most aspects of our lives and many people had to adapt to certain changes to stay safe as well as continue their jobs and education. Online school was introduced to us on a larger scale even though it had a bit of a presence before the whole virus fiasco.
Now most of us who were getting our degrees experienced the online format for almost two years after finally coming back to campuses recently. This was also the case for me as I was undertaking an English literature degree at Lahore College for Women in Pakistan during the covid lockdowns.
In light of the past two years, we have realized that both these formats have their importance and both have their shortcomings. Let's take a brief look at the various pros of on-campus and online college teaching and experiences.
Most of us who were in the process of getting our master's and bachelor's degrees from 2020 to 2021 were acquainted with online classes. Let's see the pros and cons of attending college from home.
- Convenience: what is easier than getting to attend all your classes wherever you want? All the required materials and your professor and instructors are usually available just a click away. All forms of required notes, schedules, deadlines, assignment instructions, and reading materials are easily available for accessible education.
- Easy at-home educational opportunities: it's a great way to get your degree if you already have a very hectic lifestyle. If you find yourself not having the time to attend college then college can come home to you; you can study in your environment while easily multitasking and not have to leave your houses and businesses.
- Additional personal attention: most of the time in big classrooms it can be difficult to get any personal attention or have a one-on-one interaction with your course instructor. This problem is solved by the online system where you can easily interact personally with your professors by doing so little as sending a direct message with your queries and input.
- You save money: online college costs way less compared to standard college. It allows you to get your degree while saving money, often with flexible schedules and easily accessible courses and instructors.
- Accessibility: online classes are accessible to all people, from all parts of the world. It is especially beneficial to people with physical and social disabilities which limit their college access. All people can benefit from offline college due to its immense accessibility.
The on-campus-based learning system is the more traditional and widely used format of colleges around the world. It promotes a more structured and interactive form of education where students share a physical learning space with their fellows and professors and this format comes with its pros.
- Structure and order: having to physically go to classes on campus according to set schedules and having to meet work deadlines gives order and structure to a student's life. A lot of people struggle with work ethics and structure. Physically attending college on tight schedules can give you the structure and ethics that you need. As online classes allow more flexibility in this, they don’t help you with discipline like on-campus classes.
- Improved social skills: when students go to classes and interact with other students and mentors and join different college societies, it improves their social skills drastically. They learn how to interact with many different kinds of people. This skill helps them not only in their professional lives but personal lives as well.
- Being completely engaged: being physically available in class keeps you completely engaged. In-person classes allow for more engaging sessions with cross discussions and questioning sessions. It's an immersive experience and allows all our senses to be engaged.
Before covid, most of us were not aware that online education could be an option but now most of us who were pursuing degrees in the last two years have had first-hand experience and are easily able to weigh up the pros and cons of both online and on-campus college teaching. Most colleges are offering a wider range of courses after successful online teaching and we have been introduced to a new and efficient method of education that can help out a lot of people.
However, it made a lot of people realize how online education isn't for us. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that I didn't find my first two college semesters stimulating since I’m a very social and interactive person. A lot of people felt this way but a lot of people also found taking their classes from home to be very helpful and befitting their busy lives. So regardless of a personal opinion, we can easily say that introduction to online college provides us with an opportunity to explore our options.
