Institutional Affiliation
Online learning is the use of electronic sources and information technology as a means of enhancing education. It broadly encompasses a number of various technological aspects multimedia learning as its foundation. These include areas such as multimedia learning, computer based instructions, computer assisted instructions, web based training and virtual education. All these platforms ease the use of online learning. It is synonymous with the display of pictures and video. This is also transmitted alongside audio which aids the relaying of the message. Online learning is offered by a number of campuses which have e-learning facilities. These are offered only in a number of colleges and not in all of them. More so, this an aspect that is only practical to a number of courses. Practical learning such as engineering and medicine would not be best suited for this kind of learning. However business and mathematical courses are not restricted by this development and are suitable when it comes to time saving. This kind of learning does not need the student to be physically present in college as long as he can access the learning material through computers or any other multi-media device. The instructor can have pre-recorded videos or multi media sources that the students use for class. The instructor can also be at a different location while guiding students in real time on how to tackle various situations. This is most suitable when there are many students who are tuned in at a particular time and are streaming the lesson as it goes on. Students also get practice and revision exercises through their online instructors. The online learning goes as far as students sitting for their exams online.
Campus learning on the other hand involves students physically attending lectures so as to get the knowledge they need to acquire to succeed in their field of study. This involves students registering for lectures at a particular campus and going on ahead to get instructions from their lecturers. Lessons are conducted in a class room or lecture hall for those that are in higher education. In campus learning students are able to interact with their various class mates and discuss issues that are not brought to the fore clearly. The lecturer also has the luxury of giving b assignments in groups as class members easily know each other and have pre existing bonds. In the case of campus learning, students form closer bonds with their instructions due to the ability of regular interaction even out of class. However this does not mean that technology has n room in campus learning. Lecturers still have the option of using multimedia to conduct their classes. They can come to class with projectors to show simulations of theories that they are trying to explain and put across. Concepts that are not understood are further explained. Questions can also be raised upon which appropriate answers are given by the instructors. The exams that are due are also taken in the same format aside from special cases. This kinds of exams are even more credible as there is the presence of an invigilator. This ensures that anyone who is likely to cheat is not afforded that opportunity. Thus results that come from this kind of set up are of more integrity than those that are carried out with minimal or no supervision.
However these two concepts are not so much far apart. They borrow from the same kinds of concepts that enable the relay of knowledge from one source to another. For one, they both rely on instructor to pass on information. In campus learning the instructor is a lecturer who comes to class and gives the necessary skills and techniques to pass on information. If students do not understand they have the room to ask questions that will be duly answered by the relevant instructor. In online writing the same happens. In the case where lessons are being administered via teleconferencing students and lecturers are able to feely interact. If a student does not get a concept that is being said he or she can also easily raise questions as the instructor will be notified. The two are also similar when it comes to education. After a period of learning there is need to assess a students progress and this is carried out by conducting exams. Both these concepts heavily rely on this to determine if there is any headway in terms of student progress. They are both offered by a recognized institution of education. For one to conduct an education process they must first be licensed by a higher authority so that certificates attained from that institution can be recognizable. These certificates are issued after the authorities are satisfied that the institution is well qualified to offer educational services. This is irrelevant of whether it is campus or online based. The criteria for offering any kind of education ought to be strictly adhered to ensure that quality education is being offered.
The two kinds of education are both similar and different in their respective ways. The main issue that stands out when it comes in their differences is that one is web based while the other is based on real world interactions. Online education is heavily reliant on the internet and its applications. That means that without the paradigms of Information Computer Technology online education would be heavily crippled as there would be no means to access on web based content. On the other hand campus learning involves the students going to class and availing themselves physically. The students are joined by their lectures in person also who give them the techniques of handling their situations in class. This is usually represented or held in class rooms or lecture halls. In the case where such a platform is not there it is still campus learning. A class room or lecture is not defined by the structure in which it is held in but by the people who are in it and are engaging in the exchange of information. On the flip side they both involve the exchange of information. Both are highly involved in the transmission of knowledge. They both take the need of hunger of students for knowledge to find a means of transmitting what they need to. In campus learning, they use speech and diagrams to relay information. On the other hand online education uses audio and video or pictures to transmit information. This is integral for ensuring that the education needed for a student to achieve and excel in a particular field is sufficiently passed on by the relevant instructors.
Another difference is that online writing gives one the option of choosing from various schools, programs and courses that are not present in areas in which they live. This especially comes in handy is most advantageous to those living in rural areas with limited educational facilities. This also gives one the opportunity to be able to compare different alternatives to education and compare which is the best alternative among the choices available to him or her from a long list of options that are extremely plausible and within one economical and financial reach. On the other hand campus learning limits one to the resources and options that are available to the selected campus. If one is at a distant area then he or she is forced to go to where that campus is physically or risk loosing classes. This is highly inconvenient if a student resides in a far of place where the cost of commuting is high or cost of residence in that particular area also high. However the two are similar in a number of ways other than one. The courses that are being offered by campus education and online education are also very similar. This is because the education that the institution that offers online education also offers campus education. This means that the kind of content that is being exchanged is more or less the same. This shows that when it comes to content exchange either via one on one interaction or via the web the kind of content being exchanged is more or the same. Thus the kind of techniques that are passed is not reliant on whether the means being used is campus or on line based.
The other difference is the means and mode in which exams are carried out. When it comes to online education the exams are carried out via the web also. A small amount of web based learning involves physical examination where the lecturers have to individually come and see what the students are doing and the progress that they have made. In online exams students are also given exams via the internet and are given a stipulated amount of time in which to complete the work. There is no or minimal supervision that meaning the exams have any strong or solid credibility. On the other hand the campus learning involves heavy supervision when it comes to examination of students. When exams are handed out the respective course instructors also sit there to invigilate the exams to ensure that the mode in which it is done is of high integrity. This ensures that when results come out they reflect a fair and appropriate view of a students progress in the course studied. Students progress is thus easily viewable and ascertainable. On the other hand the two principals share a certain similarity. They both heavily rely on education to be able to determine students progress. When and after learning has taken place, it is important for the student’s progress to be determined to know whether any learning took place. This is thus achieved by handing out regular examinations to students upon which they will be graded and assessment determined. The exams also act as a way of knowing how effective a lecturer is and putting perspective in place on which is the most effective way of learning.
