Comparing Modes of Delivery

 

In education there can be various modes of delivery for teaching and learning. Recently due to the covid-19 pandemic which emerged in March 2020, the world of education experienced a major shift from the more familiar face to face learning mode of delivery to online and blended learning. Face to face learning involves a live interaction/ physical contact between the learner and the instructor (1). Face to face learning although different have a few similarities with online learning. Some of these similarities include:

• ·       Both method require the instructor to be creative in creating lesson plans
• ·       Learners in both methods need to participate actively and study
• ·       Both methods are effective in achieving good learning outcomes (2).

Regardless of these similarities face to face learning and online learning also have their differences. Some of these differences include:

• ·       Learning via online provides more flexibility for adult learners as compared to face to face learning where learners have to be physically be present at the scheduled class time.
• ·       Online learning allows teaching of more students at one time as compared to face to face learning where classroom space maybe limited
• ·       Online learning provides opportunities for international students to study wherever they live in the world as oppose to face to face where travelling might be expensive, not allowed due to covid-19 lock downs or just not feasible due to personal obligations
• ·       Online learning provides a safe space for students who are shy or afraid to interact during face to face learning to express themselves.

Blended learning is a method of learning which allows learners to utilize a combination of face-to-face learning and online learning through digital platforms (3). Blended learning have various similarities with face to face and online learning. These similarities include:

• ·       Blended learning and online learning share the ease of flexibility for learners. Both methods are feasible for international adult learners who may not be able to travel at a particular scheduled time due to personal obligations such as work and family.
• ·       Blended learning and face to face both provide the learners the opportunity to have a hands on experience in the classroom or the clinical setting. Also face to face and blended learning allows for learners to have ease of communication with instructors and build a personal relationship with instructors and colleagues

The difference between the blended and face to face and online learning methods include:

• ·       Blended learning allows a mixture of face to face and online courses whereas online does not offer face to face interaction
• ·       Blended learning use a wide variety of technological resources to create interactive and engaging learning environments whereas face to face learning use more traditional teaching resources such as textbooks, lecture notes and chalkboard to engage learners.

As you can see each mode of delivery have their similarities and differences which may be beneficial for each individual learner. What one learner may find as a strength for a mode of delivery another may find it as a weakness. With face to face learning a major strength is real-time demonstration and the ability for instructors to actually observe learners body language and facial expressions. However, a major weakness of face to face learning is that missed lessons are not easy to recover as lessons are not recorded. Thus, we can say that face to face overall does not allow flexibility. On the other hand online learning major strength is that it allows flexibility for adult learners and learners can learn at their own pace (4). The major weakness of online learning is the need for access to internet sources in order to learn. Individuals with no access or lack of access to internet may not be able to learn as other students. Blended learning major strength is that it allows students and instructors the opportunity to interact face to face and virtual. It is also a learning mode which provides flexibility for students. However, blended learning major weakness is that it can create more work for instructors as they have to create course outlines and course materials for both online and face to face sessions (5).

Face to face learning, online and blended learning I believe are all unique learning methods. I cannot say that one is better than the other as each method have their own pros and cons which differentiate them from each other. Choosing one method or mode of delivery over another is solely dependent on the individual learner learning style and learning preference.

  

References

1. 1.     Face to Face Learning - Meaning and Definition [Internet]. Teachmint. 2021. Available from: https://www.teachmint.com/glossary/f/face-to-face-learning/

1. 2.     Chrisedy. Similarities and differences between face to face learning and online learning [Internet]. Chrisedy. 2016. Available from: https://chrisedy.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/similarities-and-differences-between-face-to-face-learning-and-online-learning/

1. 3.     Blended Learning: Models, Benefits, Examples, Best Practices [Internet]. Valamis. [cited 2022 May 26]. Available from: https://www.valamis.com/hub/blended-learning#

1. 4.     Nguyen S. Online Learning vs. Face-to-Face Learning: Which Is Best? [Internet]. The Whatfix Blog | Drive Digital Adoption. 2021. Available from: https://whatfix.com/blog/online-learning-vs-face-to-face-learning/

1. 5.     Blended Learning: Models, Benefits, Examples, Best Practices [Internet]. Valamis. Available from: https://www.valamis.com/hub/blended-learning#drawbacks-of-blended-learning