For the past two decades, face-to-face learning has become not the only option in the

education field. There has been an increased emphasis on the use of online learning by
educators especially since the increase cases of Covid-19. Nonetheless, the
effectiveness of both often becomes an issue of debate. Thus, let’s dive deep and take
a look from both perspectives.

Face-to-face learning, or simply put, classroom learning, is more traditional and with the
utilization of technology, may even be considered to be old-fashioned. However, for
people thinking it has had its day, that may not be the case. Classroom learning offers
benefits that other learning methods are not able to provide. One of them includes
‘human interaction’. A classroom environment offers students more opportunities to
interact with educators and peers. With that, students get to strengthen their social skills
and learn how to establish a dialogue that can lead to building personal relationships
which is something impossible to do through online learning. The friendship they formed
can lead to sharing experiences and emotional guidance among one another. On the
education side, this gives the educators a chance to give individual attention to students
who are in need. A good educator will watch for body signs when students are
struggling to keep up with the class. Online learning failed to do so; even with the aid of
web-cams, educators will not be able to read these sorts of signs. Furthermore, when
students attend a class physically, they are more focused on the subject at hand as the
educator will keep the classroom distraction-free. Students’ phones will not be ringing,
they are not walking about or is the vacuum cleaner going off in the background. This
makes them easier to be immersed in the subject.

Having done talking about face-to-face learning, let us move on to the latter. In an
online learning environment, educators make use of online resources to conduct their
class rather than gathering in an in-person classroom setting to teach. It is entirely
Internet and computer-based, thus saving students money. Reports have shown that
college students spend more than $1000 on course materials and textbooks. Those
who are unable to pay will negatively affect their academic process. On the contrary,
online learning will not have that kind of problem. The cost will be low for the students
since they are all provided online for free. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Online
learning takes place at the comfort of one's home; ergo, students do not have to worry
about paying for accommodation, food, and tuition fee. In addition, it cannot be denied
that one will learn new technical skills through this learning method. When working on a
group project, one may need to share files and this could become difficult via email.
Therefore, students are required to utilize any project management tools available such
as Skype and Dropbox. What’s more, being familiar with this software can help students
to bolster their resumé, getting them to hit the ground running in a future career.
Besides that, students who are socially awkward and find it hard to raise their hands
whenever they have a question will not have a problem when they are taking a class
online. The anxiety when raising their hand only for the answer to come out wrong or a
question that just seemingly does not make much sense as it did in your head is
eliminated for you can have your time to think it through before writing your response
and reading it over to ensure they are relaying the message you intended. Following
this, students will be able to understand the topic being taught and not be left in doubt.

Now I would like to set the matter being discussed aside and talk about my preference
on the given topic. Sure, modern technology has infiltrated the education sector but I
still believe students will get the most out of it in the traditional way. In a classroom,
students are required to speak their minds. They are often required to give
presentations or speeches, and sometimes even put in groups of people with different
viewpoints to work together. This helps them to develop important skills such as public
speaking or problem-solving. We spend the most time in school so just imagine a world
where ‘school’ is now a virtual place. Students will not have the said skills, and most
importantly, loses the chance to build long-lasting friendships. That being said I also
believe a student’s education will be greatly affected if all learning goes virtual. An
example to go with my point is that students taking a test online will not have to worry
about a teacher catching them cheating. They can easily look up a book or surf the
Internet for an answer during assessments. They do not realize it but they are losing the
chance to learn and strengthen their memory development. Face-to-face learning will
solve that loophole in online learning, making sure students are well-prepared for their
examinations.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that online learning has its effectiveness but those
online learning zealots who are always arguing that classrooms should be replaced with
virtual ones are overlooking the many benefits that face-to-face learning can bring. All in
all, it is only true if the educators are good at what they do and students are willing to
learn, for if they are not, then education will still be unsuccessful regardless of method.