If you are a working individual, and you look back to your school and college days, you are filled with nostalgia. Agreed, not everyone has had a good experience, but what we all had is still something to be cherished. But, the current pandemic has changed our education system drastically. We have had online classes for years, but only due to these times, it has gained more popularity. The students of today’s time don’t get to experience those in-person classes, where so many memories were created. Both, online and offline classes have their positives and negatives. In this discussion, we will learn more about offline classes.
Advantages of Offline Classes
Most of us have attended offline classes for years, considering it has been here for the longest time. Here, are some of the advantages of offline classes.
1. Direct interaction
When you attend offline classes, you get to interact with your teachers and classmates directly. They are easily available, and all you have to do is ask your query or initiate a conversation. You do not get this advantage in online classes, as you have to wait for the other person to be available. But, if you are working on a math problem or similar questions, and you get stuck somewhere, you would prefer direct interaction to get it over with. So, direct interaction in offline classes will stay at the core of the learning experience.
2. Facilitates communication
In offline classes, teachers interact with students. Even students interact with each other. So, meeting in person facilitates communication in classes. But, regretfully, we do not get such benefits in online classes. Asking questions is a good way of learning topics, as you get to explore them more, and understand them better. Offline classes allow teachers to conduct interactive sessions easily and encourage students to participate, all the while increasing their attention span.
3. Promotes healthy competition
Some of you might have been a part of healthy competition in your school or college days. It was fun to interact with people who had similar interests and compete with them in a healthy manner. It was a great learning experience, irrespective of failure or success. The best part about this was it motivated the students to pursue their goals. And, with failures, they got to know about their mistakes to avoid in the future. While with success, they experienced a boost in their self-esteem. Considering social interaction is so much more important, healthy competition should be a part of the learning experience.
4. Practical knowledge
If you yourself are attending online classes or see your children or siblings attending the same, you might have noticed differences in their practical sessions. At least, in offline classes, students were able to touch the equipment and observe the results practically. But, with online classes, we have seen a decline in practical sessions conducted. Some institutes try to compensate for it, and teachers practically perform experiments. But on the other hand, there are still institutes where teachers never visit the lab, and conduct practical sessions theoretically, which defeats the purpose of practical sessions.
5. Extracurricular activities
Offline classes have always been more than just studies. We have had a bunch of extracurricular activities, right from arts to athletics. The importance of extracurricular activities cannot be underestimated. It makes students active and teaches them to actively contribute to their communities. Nothing is more attractive than seeing students develop their talents and pursue their passions.
6. Saves time
When you switch from online class to offline class, you save a lot of time that would have otherwise consumed by getting ready for school, travelling there, preparing lunch, etc. As everything is available at your fingertips at the comfort of your home, time will be saved at a considerable amount. Just make sure that you spend it wisely.
Disadvantages of Offline Classes
We went through some of the advantages that offline classes provide and understood their importance. But it is not all roses, it has its flip side. So, let’s take a look at some drawbacks of offline classes.
1. Commuting
What’s the better way than starting the discussion of drawbacks by highlighting the major problem that is commuting. If the institute is nearby to your location, then it won’t be much of a problem. But this is rarely the case. Most of them travel far places on daily basis for educational purposes. The inconvenience caused by traveling is one thing, but the expense incurred can be quite a burden. In online classes, students can complete their studies from the comfort of their homes.
2. Rigid schedule
This is one of the major drawbacks of classes conducted offline. Until you are lucky enough to provide input in setting your lecture’s timetable, you have to follow what is already decided. But this is rarely the case, the institute doesn’t take into consideration the individual’s situation, and sets a timetable based on what is feasible for them. So, forget about flexibility in offline classes. On the other hand, students attending online classes enjoy flexibility, and if for some reason they couldn’t attend, they still get the option to study from recorded lectures.
3. Limited courses
In offline mode, your options in courses are limited. You can only opt for courses that are offered by your selected institute. And, suppose you decide on a course, but if it is not a common one, then you’ll have a hard time finding an institute offering the same offline. But there is no such problem with online mode. You can select any course you like, and you can always find institutes, irrespective of geographic location.
4. Less development
You’ll observe that offline classes are less developed when compared to online ones. We live in an era where technology dominates, so you can get the most of the technology in online classes. Students studying only in offline classes will have to learn to use technology, otherwise, they would be left behind. In offline classes, exposure to technology is less, limiting the overall learning experience. This can be overcome by adopting technology in classrooms.
5. Comparatively expensive
Various costs are included in offline classes, making it an expensive choice. While in online classes, some of these costs are eliminated, allowing the institutes to pass on the benefits to their students. Online classes offer various courses at reasonable costs, making it an attractive choice. Whereas offline classes charge high tuition fees, and the traveling expense is a whole other story.