Are Online Classes as Effective as In-Person Classes for Students?

The debate about the effectiveness of online classes has been ongoing for some time. While there are some drawbacks to taking online courses, they can be just as effective as in-person classes if done correctly. With the right educational method and pedagogical approach, distance learning can be efficient and provide students with the opportunity to learn in a way that suits their personality types and learning preferences. Research conducted by Karl Alexander at Johns Hopkins University and many others has shown that students, particularly those with fewer resources at home, learn less when they are not in school.

However, IBM has found that participants learn five times more material in online learning courses using multimedia content than in traditional in-person courses. The Open University of Great Britain has also found that online courses are equivalent to an average of 90% less energy and 85% less CO2 emissions per student than traditional in-person courses. This is beneficial for the environment, as well as for students who can access lessons and exercises and interact with teachers in ways that would have been impossible if an epidemic had shut down schools even a decade or two earlier. At EduWW, online classes are not strange sessions during which a tutor is speaking and a student is just a passive listener.

Assessment can become more of an ongoing process, and students have the freedom to participate in group discussions and chats when they're ready. Overall, digital education facilities have allowed many students to earn grades and even re-train for new careers at any stage of their lives. With the right curriculum and educational method, online classes can be just as effective as regular school classes, even more so for some students.