Internet Courses Vs. Traditional Classes in India

The internet has changed our life tremendously. It became a new way of getting news, being in touch with friends and family, and shopping. Recently, the internet has been used for learning. Learning through the net is as much informative as learning in a traditional classroom. Nowadays, many universities, called virtual universities, provide learning materials through the web. Teaching is not in a traditional classroom but rather in a virtual environment. This made it possible to learn at home. Due to the difference in the medium of delivery of information, traditional classrooms differ from the internet ones in many points such as: the place of learning, the materials taught and the interaction.

One obvious difference is the physical place of learning. In a traditional classroom, students are required to attend their classes. On the other hand, learners, who are learning from internet courses, study at their own pace and at the time they wish. The traditional classes are suited to the normal students that are students who are able to go to a school or a university. Online courses can also be used as complementary courses but not the main courses. They are suited to university returners and disabled people because people would be busy working, shy to attend university because of their age... etc. Although the physical place of learning is different. Each one the net and the traditional classroom has its own pros and cons.

Another area of difference is the materials taught. Most of the materials being taught in a traditional classroom are prepared by the government to suit students' needs. They are also authentic and dependable. On the other hand, not all materials on the net are dependable. So a learner should be careful of what to choose and how to evaluate. Evaluating internet learning materials is not an easy work. Thus a leaner is restricted in one way or another to well-known sites and WebPages. It is safer for students at early ages to get their materials from their schools in order not to get misconceptions from unauthorized and undependable sites.

The final area of difference is interaction. In case the same materials are given in both mediums: through the net and in traditional classroom, would the students get the same benefit? The answer to this question, in my opinion, is a big NO. While in traditional classroom there is a face-to-face interaction with the teacher, this is lost through the net. In traditional classrooms, students negotiate meaning with their teacher and can reach a solution to the problematic issues. However, through the net students are working on their own and there is no immediate helper.

In conclusion, although both internet courses and traditional classes help adding to learners' knowledge, they are different mostly in all aspects. They use two different physical places which make each one unique for its use. Thus, the choice of usage of either medium is very much affected

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