The concept of traditional education has drastically changed in a recent couple of years, and with that, the attitude of Gen Z has also begun to change. And since being physically present in a classroom is not the only learning option anymore, many students started to choose online education over it.
Gen Z students believe that education should be accessible and convenient, and online classes provide them with exactly what they need. They can access everything they may need or want to learn online. Students nowadays can have access to free courses, online encyclopedias, free essay services, online tutors, etc., that can help them with their studies and save them time. Basically, they can easily access quality education wherever and whenever they want if they have a computer and internet connection.
So, let’s see what the benefits of online education are and why Gen Z students choose it over traditional education:
- Online education allows students and teachers to set their own learning pace, and they offer the flexibility of setting a schedule that can fit in everyone’s agenda. It makes it perfect for everyone, especially for students who want to balance their studies with their job, without giving anything up.
- There are many skills and subjects that online learning platforms provide to students. Also, the number of colleges and universities that offer their programs online is constantly growing. As a result, there are options for almost everyone, from quantum physics to music composition programs online. And, of course, when students finish their studies, they can get a diploma, official certificate, or a degree without even setting foot on a college campus.
- Teachers and professors who teach online became closer to their students as these teachers should be a bit tech-savvy to teach students using tech tools, different apps to make the educational process engaging as it is more difficult to maintain student’s focus when it’s not a regular classroom. And now being a teacher is not the same as it was years ago.
- Online education is flexible for every student individually, and sometimes they even have individual classes, which offers them better interaction and more feedback from the teacher. Also, teachers in online classes often present materials in the form of eBooks, photos, videos, etc. In addition, they use various tools to improve the lesson and make it more understandable and interesting.
- Online education tends to be more affordable and offers various payment options, allowing students to have better budget management. Also, some students can get discounts or scholarships and even save money on class materials that can be found online for free. So basically, you will invest way less and get the same results, if not better.
And the only drawback of it may be the fact that students must devote more time to self-study since they must learn without the supervision of a teacher. Meaning that their success depends only on their own motivation.
So, we can say that traditional education is not as important to Gen Z as it used to be in the past for the older generations. However, traditional education also brings many benefits, and many students are still interested in what traditional education is like and choose that path. And despite all the advantages, online learning still hasn’t replaced offline learning.
Some Advantages Of Traditional Education
First and foremost is the face-to-face contacts and discussions that you don’t have in online classes. Also, through traditional college experiences, students are involved with lots of people, creating meaningful relationships that can last a lifetime.
Also, not everything can be taught online. For example, getting a major in nursing includes clinical practice and equipment and materials that online classes can’t provide. They can’t provide the students with in-depth materials in particular subjects and can’t always assist them. In a traditional school, the materials can be easily accessed in the school library.
Conclusion
So, deciding on online vs traditional education depends on the individual’s needs and goals. Of course, not everything is for everyone, and every student should assess their own situation and decide what he wants. But the fact still remains, almost 90% of Gen Z students think that online education is the same and even better than traditional education.