Online Debate Competition #5 - Can online education replace traditional classrooms?

Rajni Jain · 2014-07-06T02:30:53+00:00

At some point of time, most of us would have done education with traditional learning methodology, i.e. class room coaching. In older time parents used to think that, their wards will comprehend more while in a classroom environment as the focus were not on things that were at surroundings but was more at the lessons lectures. Per them Class room coaching was important for inculcating the discipline in their wards. However, things have changed over a period of time and many thinks that online education brings in all new ideas to the educational world. Online education provides an excellent source for learning because each student can work at his or her own pace. Experts of each of the area can teach us at any part of the world, time of your choice. That must be exciting for working buddies, rural area folks and for the ones who want to learn advanced technologies / education. Do today we are going to discuss that, the way online education is moving "Can it replace Traditional classrooms?"

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

In a country like India I don't think it can replace traditional classroom lectures because,
1. The infrastructure present here
2. The knowledge the of faculty
3. The reachability

0

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

To begin with the discussion. I would definitely agree that it will replace over the period of time. As it reduce time, money, flexibility to study at our own pace.

But, It may not penetrate so much in rural areas as you mention due to Lack on High Speed Internet Access

Now can't able to play a single Udemy courses patiently. (Rural Areas)

Yes, It certainly helps those who have proper access and guidance.

The Down side of online tutorials is,

Credibility:

Genuineness:

Pricing: Some courses we can get it for free, But sometimes we ending up in paying insane money.

Human Interaction is most important in teaching or mentoring.

0

Rajni Jain

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 6, 2014

At-least 10 CEan's are seeing this debate and yet this thread lacking on comments?

What happend #-Link-Snipped-# #-Link-Snipped-# #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-# and other online members?

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

Trying to fix this damn net problem. 😡

0

Bashiruddin Naik

@bashiruddin-N9oNBe • Jul 6, 2014

Rajni Jain
At-least 10 CEan's are seeing this debate and yet no much comments?

What happend #-Link-Snipped-# #-Link-Snipped-# #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-# and other online members?

They might be taking online training.

0

Karthikeyan jaisankar

@karthikeyan-jaisankar-ePFRw7 • Jul 6, 2014

according to me,Traditional method of teaching totally differ from online education.Online education (E-Learning) is one way we can know about anything but the thing is we want to read it and develop our knowledge invidually thats all about its our own intrest.Traditional classroom learning is the effective method which the concept can be clarified by experienced teacher whether you can understand or not.But listening can makes our concentration/attention in a constrained way.

0

beingab

@beingab-l4GkXZ • Jul 6, 2014

Online education can be beneficial for higher learning for working individuals and for people who don't have time or access to resources for higher studies.
But when we talk about kids and lower grades then it cannot replace traditional classrooms. In lower classes a student needs a classroom not only for education but for learning how to be social. A student requires a mentor who personally helps him and can provide motivation. So i firmly believe traditional classrooms cannot be replaced.

0

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

beingab
Online education can be beneficial for higher learning for working individuals and for people who don't have time or access to resources for higher studies.
But when we talk about kids and lower grades then it cannot replace traditional classrooms. In lower classes a student needs a classroom not only for education but for learning how to be social. A student requires a mentor who personally helps him and can provide motivation. So i firmly believe traditional classrooms cannot be replaced.

Yes you are right... upto a certain age everyone needs someone helps. It can never give a feel of directness otherwise life becomes mechanical what we see in pictures.

0

Satya Swaroop Dash

@satya-swaroop-YDeBJM • Jul 6, 2014

Online education is definitely gaining ground in India. It all started with Professor Sugata Mitra’s Hole In the Wall project in 1999 in New Delhi. NIIT took this initiative to expand this initiative to other developing and under developing countries in Asia and Africa to help underprivileged children. To assist CBSE students we now have websites like Merit Nation. Companies like Tata’s Classedge, Educomp, Birla Shoka Edutech and Everonn System have debuted smart class systems in conventional classrooms. These projects are aiding regular education in ways that were never possible but I am not sure this will replace our conventional classrooms.

0

Nayan Goenka

@nayan-Dhpt4N • Jul 6, 2014

Working on weekends. tomorrow launch of some stuff. Won't be in for debate. 😔

0

Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 6, 2014

Education breeds confidence, confidence breeds hope and hope breeds peace. Such education which has the ability to solve the problems of health, poverty, economy etc is facing huge criticism in the developing countries like India. If the traditional method of education in the current scenario is well doing, there wont be this kind of higher rates of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition ill-health etc. And more over
days are changed, jobs pattern is changed, people are changed; then whats wrong in changing the method of education?
Technology has already proven an upper hand over man. Technology wields tremendous power to bridge diatances and overcome other barriers. There may be views that use of the technology can defeat the physical constraints in the academic institutions, but they reach one another in a meaningful collaboration of ideas, thoughts and knowledge. It becomes easy to share course material and lectures can mitigate the lack of expertise in aparticular field and ultimately establish UNIFORM STANDARDS across all the educational institutions in the country which is the serious problem we are facing today.
It also hlps to connect educational institutions with the industry to bridge the gap of skill deficit. Research and innovation becomes much more easier. Students may come up with more transformative ideas as they are connected to network. And also one more point is it improves faculty development also which is a crucial aspect of overall academic management.
Its not the education going online, the students themselves are going online. See the number of questions, ready made project requests here on CE etc.
Here it is Technolgy vs Tradition. Its not that schools should be vanished and a computer at a home can be enough. Traditional education with technology is the preferrable option to sustain humanity, morals, values and talent.
INDIAN TALENT + INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY = INDIA TOMORROW

0

Satya Swaroop Dash

@satya-swaroop-YDeBJM • Jul 6, 2014

There are also logistics problems. Yes, internet connection is one but there are others too starting with scarcity of teachers. According to a report published last year India faces shortage of nearly 1.4 million trained teachers and since in education one on one interaction is quite crucial for doubt clearing we do not seem to have any resources for that.

Adding to my previous points I would like to point out that, we have a number of online courses being offered for free or for payment to students from many universities across the world but they still not have importance. You can take the existing example of corresponding courses, for any job application the recruiters like people who have undergone full time education and not half time/corresponding ones. This is not going to change anytime soon and for this we cannot expect online education becoming mainstream in the near future.

0

Karthikeyan jaisankar

@karthikeyan-jaisankar-ePFRw7 • Jul 6, 2014

Nowadays all classrooms are changing into smart board classrooms!!.These are one of the Technology Impact changes in our present education systems.But am not intrested in smart board used because in our olden days,boards are filled with chalk prints.Thats,one of the fine method where i can understood something thinking about the subject but nowadays hows the teacher is writing in smartboard thinking about technolgy waiting for amoment when it will get some error will come 😛

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

Hola everyone !

On a dead serious note, this online thing seems to be replacing the traditional classrooms in maybe next 15-20 years as we see the growth statistics of online classrooms, BUT (BUTs are nosy) this thing shouldn't grow so much that the traditional one's lag behind.

In 2012, the growth was about 32% in the online higher education as about 7 million students opted for atleast one online course. But, according to an analysis bt MIT an Havard 95% of the students dropped out of the stuff before getting a certificate.

There's something wrong.. right ? Most of the students opt the online courses just because it sounds cooler have a degree online. 😨

Especially in India where people don't even send their children to schools, whatever the reason maybe, so how are they going to know about this online thing ?

Looking at the current condition, where constant advancements are gathering the limelight, the online classrooms sound good but they shouldn't grow as much to replace the traditional classrooms.

However, we can't learn the basic computer and internet stuff using internet right ?

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

Let me share my two cents on this:

Classrooms:

Pros:
1. Useful for basic training or introduction to a new subject whose existence was earlier unknown by the student.
Eg: History, Language, etc

2. Areas of education where performance is key factor can't be taught online even if there are online tutorials in future.
Eg: Arts like Dancing, Drawing, Music (Instrumental), Music (Vocals), Karate

3. A professional presence of an instructor/trainer is always a key ingredient in the cuisine of education. Without one, the dish is like a masala (flavors) without sync.

Cons:
1. Professionals definitely find classrooms too 'time-consuming'. But hey, you are a professional, so you can learn without a teacher, right? Who teaches them teachers anyways? They learn themselves right?

Online Training: When did this even come to place?

My Opinion:

Always pick the best method to learn. For the majority of students ( of all categories: post-graduates, under-graduates, and school-students), the presence of a physical tutor/ someone from whom they can get a quick explanation without a time-limit is necessary. Sure, online training does involve video/audio conference calls, but that does not actually help with concentration levels.

As a student who has experienced both online and offline education, both within and outside my workplace, I would still prefer a physical classroom where I can reach out and deal with hands-on experience/doubt clearing methods with my tutor on any subject that I am learning. Online references are always helpful, but doesn't give the same effect as a classroom. '

Future Scenario:

The future scenario of traditional classrooms can improve a lot more thanks to the advent of newer options to learn.

Eg: Integration of Tablets, Computers, and other easier options to make traditional learning experience more meaningful.

Even though online classrooms are growing at a good pace, they are not going to replace traditional classrooms in many fields, atleast not among non-professionals.
Eg: Electronics, Electrical, Mechanical, Aeronautical, etc. (Hands-on experience is more important in these fields)

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

Sada
Education breeds confidence, confidence breeds hope and hope breeds peace. Such education which has the ability to solve the problems of health, poverty, economy etc is facing huge criticism in the developing countries like India. If the traditional method of education in the current scenario is well doing, there wont be this kind of higher rates of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition ill-health etc. And more over
days are changed, jobs pattern is changed, people are changed; then whats wrong in changing the method of education?
Technology has already proven an upper hand over man. Technology wields tremendous power to bridge diatances and overcome other barriers. There may be views that use of the technology can defeat the physical constraints in the academic institutions, but they reach one another in a meaningful collaboration of ideas, thoughts and knowledge. It becomes easy to share course material and lectures can mitigate the lack of expertise in aparticular field and ultimately establish UNIFORM STANDARDS across all the educational institutions in the country which is the serious problem we are facing today.
It also hlps to connect educational institutions with the industry to bridge the gap of skill deficit. Research and innovation becomes much more easier. Students may come up with more transformative ideas as they are connected to network. And also one more point is it improves faculty development also which is a crucial aspect of overall academic management.
Its not the education going online, the students themselves are going online. See the number of questions, ready made project requests here on CE etc.
Here it is Technolgy vs Tradition. Its not that schools should be vanished and a computer at a home can be enough. Traditional education with technology is the preferrable option to sustain humanity, morals, values and talent.
INDIAN TALENT + INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY = INDIA TOMORROW

But you need a humane advice, a teacher or one who you can reach out and ask for help. Let's keep it simple, what if you are in UP or areas of delhi, where there are frequent power cuts ?

No doubt the Internet is a BIG help for us (specially the students), but we can't count on it to give us a degree !

0

Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 6, 2014

Thats the reason i concluded that traditional knowledge with technology helps to have a sustained and humane education.
Its fortunate to see that even Government has recognized the importance of this and is tskeing a series of reforms like model schools , national mission on education through ICT, national e-governance plan etc

0

beingab

@beingab-l4GkXZ • Jul 6, 2014

Anand Vardhan
But you need a humane advice, a teacher or one who you can reach out and ask for help. Let's keep it simple, what if you are in UP or areas of delhi, where there are frequent power cuts ?

No doubt the Internet is a BIG help for us (specially the students), but we can't count on it to give us a degree !

I totally agree with you. Providing classroom and teacher to students in rural area is a big issue that would require atleast 10-15 years to resolve. And thinking about online education in such places is obselete

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

Sada
Technology has already proven an upper hand over man.

Man made Technology. God made Man (some of us believe), so is Man above God? You're kidding.

It also hlps to connect educational institutions with the industry to bridge the gap of skill deficit.

Skill deficit can't be fixed with technology. Skill has to come from hands-on experience, the kind that you'd get only in a physical classroom.

Research and innovation becomes much more easier. Students may come up with more transformative ideas as they are connected to network.

Connected to internet is different from learning something completely from online resource. And research also would involve a laboratory with some sort of apparatus/equipment to experiment with. There the technology/ information available on the internet is limiting/useless. No surgeon is born through internet education.

And also one more point is it improves faculty development also which is a crucial aspect of overall academic management.

True that! Faculty (they are professionals), can get more info online before they teach a subject.

Its not the education going online, the students themselves are going online. See the number of questions, ready made project requests here on CE etc.

That's because most of them are left clueless at their classrooms. Present classroom conditions have to change.

Here it is Technolgy vs Tradition. Its not that schools should be vanished and a computer at a home can be enough. Traditional education with technology is the preferrable option to sustain humanity, morals, values and talent.

INDIAN TALENT + INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY = INDIA TOMORROW

Point!

0

Rajni Jain

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 6, 2014

Official moderation:

To all my debate friends, please note that today debate is of 2 hours i.e. from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

So take your time to jot down your points for the Awesome online Debate winner accolade (and ya gift card too). Don't miss to sign-off with the summary, as that have the additional points.

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

beingab
I totally agree with you. Providing classroom and teacher to students in rural area is a big issue that would require atleast 10-15 years to resolve. And thinking about online education in such places is obselete

It'd take more than that, probably 25+ years.☕

0

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

Simple example why it is not so effective now a days is this discussion, everyone is commenting on their own but no one is taking the points of others to make a note. Subject suggests Online Debate but the infrastructure of this site is not enough to get everyone connected and discuss vocally instead of scripting, internet speeds of couple of individuals who is present in this site. And see here it is not like a debate if we all had sit together we would have made better points instead posting everyone their own views and give a quality conclusion. How many of you are really concentrating only on this discussion??? How many of you are not browing/surfing other things, how much interesting is this discussion??

Though I'm part of this so called "Software Engineers" bunch I personally feel it can never ever give the feel of traditional classroom teaching, it can just be an add-on whether for a 4 yrs kid or professional learner but can never a primary means of source.

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

Anoop Mathew
Man made Technology. God made Man (some of us believe), so is Man above God? You're kidding.

Skill deficit can't be fixed with technology. Skill has to come from hands-on experience, the kind that you'd get only in a physical classroom.

Connected to internet is different from learning something completely from online resource. And research also would involve a laboratory with some sort of apparatus/equipment to experiment with. There the technology/ information available on the internet is useless. Not surgeon is born through internet education.

True that! Faculty (they are professionals), can get more info online before they teach a subject.

That's because most of them are left clueless at their classrooms. Present classroom conditions have to change.

Point!

I like this manner of replying. (Sorry for getting off the topic 😛)

0

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

Future Scenario:

The future scenario of traditional classrooms can improve a lot more thanks to the advent of newer options to learn.

Eg: Integration of Tablets, Computers, and other easier options to make traditional learning experience more meaningful.

Your future scenarios are already in implementation in most of the private schools in India.

Even though online classrooms are growing at a good pace, they are not going to replace traditional classrooms in many fields, atleast not among non-professionals.
Eg: Electronics, Electrical, Mechanical, Aeronautical, etc. (Hands-on experience is more important in these fields)

Even this can be implementable with the concept of Virtualization but as you said ppl need hands on otherwise there won't be any quality in edcation

0

Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 6, 2014

@ anoop - man made technology. Agree. But can a man does as effective and effocient as technology? See for example we are all gathered here on CE to discuss. If technology is not available, how many of us can try our hard from our place to CE office to discuss all these. Its tough to digest, hard to believe but technology derived from the human talent has beaten the human talent.

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

Goutham Prodhutoori
Simple example why it is not so effective now a days is this discussion, everyone is commenting on their own but no one is taking the points of others to make a note. Subject suggests Online Debate but the infrastructure of this site is not enough to get everyone connected and discuss vocally instead of scripting, internet speeds of couple of individuals who is present in this site. And see here it is not like a debate if we all had sit together we would have made better points instead posting everyone their own views and give a quality conclusion. How many of you are really concentrating only on this discussion??? How many of you are not browing/surfing other things, how much interesting is this discussion??

Though I'm part of this so called "Software Engineers" bunch I personally feel it can never ever give the feel of traditional classroom teaching, it can just be an add-on whether for a 4 yrs kid or professional learner but can never a primary means of source.

I agree with you.

To everyone:

Imagine you are given a class about C++/some other telecom equipment that you are new to. And the 'presenter' at the other end of the video starts playing 'slide-shows/power-point presentation' regarding the subject. You would eventually try to take notes from those slides, the presenter would say that he'll just send me the presentation so that it'd save my 'time'. But really is it saving my time? Later on I refer back at the slide-show and I would not be able to recall half of the things if it were a long session. Most of the online sessions happen to be long sessions and go at a faster pace due to time-constraints set by these tutors as they have multiple 'clients' to teach, so you don't easily get the info into your head unless you have actually seen/heard some parts of what is being taught earlier. You'd eventually feel that the class would have been better if it were on a blackboard, or now-a-days white board (with marker) and a Sir had explained it to you while you were there. Online teaching also stimulates very few questions during the session, unlike a classroom/conference room training session.

0

Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 6, 2014

@ anoop - man made technology. Agree. But can a man does as effective and effocient as technology? See for example we are all gathered here on CE to discuss. If technology is not available, how many of us can try our hard from our place to CE office to discuss all these. Its tough to digest, hard to believe but technology derived from the human talent has beaten the human talent.

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

Sada
@ anoop - man made technology. Agree. But can a man does as effective and effocient as technology? See for example we are all gathered here on CE to discuss. If technology is not available, how many of us can try our hard from our place to CE office to discuss all these. Its tough to digest, hard to believe but technology derived from the human talent has beaten the human talent.

You point is not structured well. Technology is never above Man. Man has enabled technology to do things for him. That's all I meant.

Hence disproving your statement:-

Technology has already proven an upper hand over man.

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

No doubt, technology is a great way to offer educational services to students, but it still has its limitations. No matter how “smart” a product or computer program is, it can’t compare to the knowledge and life experience that a teacher brings into the classroom. A teacher can use this background to help the student make real-world connections and see (and make you see) a subject from a different perspective.

In case of this online thing, students' knowledge is evaluated by by just a bunch of online tests (formal in nature). Whereas, a teacher can can make you observe things both formally and informally.

This online education a mostly helpful in higher educations where you need time and not for all sort of education.

Thus, my thought process says it is helpful to go through the network, but it seems sort of unrealistic to me, to get into an online course !

In my field (Mechanical Engg) it is quite impossible to complete the degree effectively, without involving in the physical observations !

Adios ! 😀

0

beingab

@beingab-l4GkXZ • Jul 6, 2014

Summing up on my part i would like to say that online education is beneficial for learning new technologies and higher studies but cannot be a Mainstream source of learning. Their is a lack of motivation in online learning and also feeling of competition cannot be developed through it.
Talking about its future aspects i don't think it can replace traditional education in near future because their will always be a need of classroom interaction btw students and teachers and denying this social environment would only create robots.
Also the economic conditions forbid the growth of online education

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

Goutham Prodhutoori
Your future scenarios are already in implementation in most of the private schools in India.

That's what I meant. It'll help in future as well.

0

Anand Vardhan

@anand-vardhan-6ckgdB • Jul 6, 2014

Sada
@ anoop - man made technology. Agree. But can a man does as effective and effocient as technology? See for example we are all gathered here on CE to discuss. If technology is not available, how many of us can try our hard from our place to CE office to discuss all these. Its tough to digest, hard to believe but technology derived from the human talent has beaten the human talent.

About the CE thing you mentioned. Are we involved in some online course or something ? 😨

We can't connect this discussion at CE to the meaning of the topic, right ?

0

Rajni Jain

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 6, 2014

Official Moderation:

Debate is getting interesting; however do keep a watch on time... Last 15 minutes,

I am sure you would like to summarize in last 5-10 minutes.

0

Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 6, 2014

I'm concluding that a cosmetic overhual of the present day education is no doubt needed. It can be met by integrating network or information technology with the conventional structure of education. No schools with online technology or No online education with schools can provide a sustained, humane, moral and value based education. Hence
Tradition + Technology combined with the student's Talent defines the student's tomorrow and ultimately the nation's tomorrow.

Ps : pardon for not replying to everyone's quote. Cant type anymore from my tab. next time i will be prepared with my infrastructure.

0

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 6, 2014

To sum up my words, i would like to quote something that came to my mind:

"Learning never ends, we learn from anything and everything around us; but a good teacher is the greatest gift you can get for any field of study."

Online training may have good teachers, but the students have to be that patient to grasp the subject.

Another factor to be considered is thinking. During a classroom session, you get some time in between to ponder on the subject as you don't really skim through the entire module within a few hours. A teacher always explains later on when you ask a doubt. But that 'time' for a 'doubt' to formulate in your head is better formed within a classroom than online.

Also, you can change the pace of the class according to your timings (or if you attend some tuition, your teacher would know when you're bored and maybe talk to you about some other subject to make room for new info to flood your brain.) Not many online education facilities offer that.

On average, the concentration time of a human being is limited to about 20 minutes. Keeping the student in focus is the priority of the teacher in a classroom as he needs his class/student to get the subject in hand.

So, there is no chance for online education to replace a classroom, unless human IQ and concentration levels reach Einsteinian levels!!!

0

Rajni Jain

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 6, 2014

Official Moderation:
It's 9:00 PM, and we are concluding the debate.

We have some awesome points. Points added after this will not be considered for evaluation.

However keep the ball rolling and pour in your comments.

0

Goutham Prodhutoori

@goutham-prodhutoori-c8eaF0 • Jul 6, 2014

Simple I conclude it can never replace traditional way of training/teaching.

It can just be an add-on to go further in an efficient way.

0

Sanyam Khurana

@sanyam-Nl7Zqc • Jul 6, 2014

#-Link-Snipped-# <a href="https://www.crazyengineers.com/threads/need-help-with-internet-problem.75556">Need Help with Internet Problem</a>

This is killing me ! 😔

I can't do anything but wait merely for 2-3 minutes for a single page to load. Complaint numerous times.

0

Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

@sarathkumar-FEGRPw • Jul 6, 2014

sorry i missed it.I will put my views tmrw aid of laptop.Its difficult to post long lines in small phone screen.

0

Online Debate Competition #5 - Can online education replace traditional classrooms?

Replies

Welcome, guest