Heather Smith

7/7/20

ETEC 424 01W

Instructor Wolfe
01W-HeatherSmith-Unit 1- Online vs F2F

When starting college and deciding which type of courses to take it can get

overwhelming and confusing. There are several factors to think about carefully before choosing

which fits best for you. Factors such as your time, lifestyle, goals, learning abilities, and many

more should be considered greatly. When selecting courses there are two common choices,

online courses or face-to-face courses. Face-to-face courses are those that were the norm where

you go into a classroom setting with peers and an instructor gives a lesson. Online courses, as

described by My College Guide website, are changing the entire structure and experience of

college (My College Guide,n.d.). Online students may never step foot in a classroom and the

learning/college experience is completely different. As stated in an article, by never stepping foot

in a classroom an “online learner may not know the drill,” or what to expect if it is not all laid

out there for them(North Carolina Community College, n.d.). I think as long as the lines are

drawn and the student knows exactly what is expected of them, online students can be just as

successful as face-to-face students can.

A student should definitely evaluate the pros and cons of each type of course. If a student

is unsure what the advantages and disadvantages are of different instructional environments, they

should definitely do some research and read all of the information provided or meet with an

advisor (Tustin, 2017).

Understanding your own way of learning definitely plays a role in selecting which

courses are the best fit for you. Some people learn by merely reading and others need to see

hands-on the material they are learning about. If the student learns best by interacting with
Heather Smith

7/7/20

ETEC 424 01W

Instructor Wolfe
others, seeing physical examples, and reading body language then face-to-face is probably the

best choice of courses for them. A visual, aural, or kinesthetic learner may not learn or

understand the covered information if they are merely reading it all online on a computer screen.

Different types of learners require different types of delivery of information. So understanding

your ways of learning, weighing pros and cons, and your personal lifestyle can help a student

determine if online or face-to-face learning is best for them.

References

North Carolina Community College. (n.d.). Key differences between online and face-to-face

teaching [pdf file]. Retrieved from

http://www.cordonline.net/mntutorial1/module_1/NCCCSKeyDifferences.pdf

In text: (North Carolina Community College, n.d.).

My College Guide. (n.d.) Online classes vs. traditional classes: Pros and Cons [Blog post].

Retrieved from https://mycollegeguide.org/blog/2017/05/online-classes-vs-traditional-

classes/

In text: (My College Guide, n.d.)

Tustin, R. (2017, January). Pros & Cons of the different instructional environments. Retrieved

from https://study.com/blog/pros-cons-of-the-different-instructional-environments.html

In text: (Tustin, 2017).