Should Face To Face Learning Be Compared To Online Learning

This essay was entered in the lifesaver essay contest in 2017. This was the first essay I wrote for a competition and dared to submit. It's in English and it ended up in the top 10 percent. Have fun reading my first essay Should face to face learning be compared to online learning! It has been updated in 2025.

Index

Face To Face Learning And Online Learning

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Face To Face Learning And Online Learning

I experienced both face to face learning and online learning as a student and as a teacher. I use online learning mostly as a student, because its handier for me due to time limitation. But if the subject is big enough and I would like to use it as an entrepreneur, in work or in life I would also dedicate time to face to face learning.

Online Course

Theory is learned by me faster if I learn it in an online course, because I can do this at my own pace without the nagging of other people around me. But if the subject interests me enough I would go for a face to face to get more out of the subject. It gives more insight and perspectives from different people which can be combined with different views in a unique end view. Sometimes I have to confess I don’t follow this rule. I go for the workshop where I can get acquainted with the subject that is totally new to me, before diving into it online or in a specialized course.

Teaching

As a teacher I am specialized in giving these starters groups. These starters groups are mostly cheap and can help determine if this subject is something I want to invest in or not. Also it’s the way to build a network and get the new work. This last one is a fact for most of the people going to these introduction courses also called network meetings. In these meetings I talk to different kind of people and the interaction is the learning experience I need on this subject to bring this in practice or walk away from the subject. But I can get also an overload on information at these meetings which can make me blindsided on this subject if it is something I want or not. It all depends on my mood and the other people I interact with. Sometimes the subject is mine, but the people working in the field are not bringing the best of me on the surface. This is something to consider before going further in learning this subject or in my choice in learning face to face or online learning.

Follow Up

As a follow up on these introduction courses I can follow a face to face or online course depending on the time in hand at that moment. For example if the introduction course got me new work, depending on the knowledge I already have and the time I have to do the new project. If I have enough time, I go for the long face to face course, but if I have little time and know nothing about the subject I go to a short face to face. In this short follow up course I got the headlines, which I have to look into to do the work. Finish the learning on this subject for this project with diving into online learning for the specifications. Although this face-to-face learning is time consuming and very tiring. I get the most of it to use in practice.

Kind Of Course

So the factors I should take into consideration when choosing between face to face and online learning are:

the time I have,
Am I willing to interact with people during the course,
do I have time to travel to the course location and the kind of course.

Time

If I have enough time. I should go for face to face. It’s a short investment, I get to spend time with a teacher and a group, which can give me a new inside on how the subject I am studying is used in practice. But with less time go for online learning. I can choose my own time and take my time to learn the subject.

Peoples, Peoples

Am I a peoples peoples, please don’t go for an online course, I would be bored and stop. It will only cost me money. Peoples, peoples will enjoy the dynamic of the group and learn the subject faster. Another option is to use the online course to learn the theory and follow a workshop or discussion group to get the practice inside. Best is to bring in cases used on this subject in practice. When discussing these cases with each other. I get insight on developing myself or my work further.

Location

If I am free and have time to travel, why not join a face-to-face course. It’s the dynamic of talking to people which brings me further in learning. Although online learning has discussion groups and social media today, which can help the discussion grow even further if the discussions are open to others and interactive.

Kind Of Course

Some courses aren’t available online or can’t be taught online, like presenting and communication. These are best followed face to face to get practice in doing it. This is something which is not possible online, at least not the practice part. The theory part is. So on face-to-face VS online learning, I should use both depending on time, location, the kind of course I am doing and the kind of person I am. I wouldn’t say the one is better or worse than the other. It all depends on myself, the materials, and the teacher.