With the advent of the internet the face of the modern world changed forever, opening many opportunities to those who before had none. Education has evolved in this new world, with the introduction and growing popularity of online learning as an option to traditional onsite education.

“In a time not so long ago, online degrees were questionable, frowned upon, even considered worthless” 1. The stigma however has greatly decreased in the last 20 years.

Online or onsite which one is right for you?

To come to an informed decision we must first discover what each style has to offer.

Traditional onsite learning experience is one based in the classroom, full immersion and in the case of teaching English as a second language involves actual teaching experience, something that cannot be replicated online.

“The importance of a college education in terms of the opportunities which it opens up for the rest of your life should not be underestimated.” 2 There is immediate feedback to work, and the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals allowing for good networking. The whole experience is a good way to expand personal and social horizons. It is a fully committed experience, which you live 24 hours a day.

Online learning has come along way since its beginnings it is now done “through a combination of interactive technology and experienced technical savy” 3 Online has the same basic information and goal, but is taught in a different manner. Lessons online are more interactive and theory based and unlike onsite are much more flexible in nature you can do things at your own pace a couple of hours a week, or 10 hours a week whatever suits your lifestyle. Although, this is at the expense of immediate feedback.

Unlike onsite the experience is much more solitary in manner, but considerable cheaper than the equivalent.

Each method has its weaknesses and its strengths, deciding which is right for an individual really depends on a number of factors:

Lifestyle constraints i.e. how much time a person has to commit to learning. For example, an 18-year-old girl straight out of college will probably have more time to study than a 35-year-old woman with a full time job and 2 kids. In these cases, the 18-year-old girl may prefer the onsite learning, as she has no commitments and would benefit from social and networking opportunities that come with this. The 35 year old probably does not have the time to do a fulltime course, and may benefit from flexible learning around her lifestyle.

Secondly, monetary constraints versus aims. onsite courses are much more expensive than online ones, if you are wanting to learn new skills for a part time course or have no specific aim the online option maybe more desirable than a costly onsite course.

Alternatively, if you wanted a full time job change the social and networking aspects that the onsite course provides would be beneficial over the online alterative.

What kind of person are you? A highly motivated and organised person would find the online experience enjoyable; however, a person who needs constant reminding about deadline may struggle with the online format.

Lastly creditability, although online courses have come along way there is still some stigma attached to them. The educational institute should be fully researched to check its credibility as this might course problems in the future.

In summary, there is no definitive answer when deciding whether to go for online or onsite education many factors such as personal circumstances and the needs of the individual will come into play when deciding what to go for. The “online school experience will differ greatly from your on-site school experience and you should make sure that you are fully aware of the differences before you proceed with either course.” 4 the choice is yours.

Articles Referenced

Scott Macleod