Online and Hybrid Learning Versus Traditional In-Person Learning

Learning went through a momentous change at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the closing of schools and social distancing, no or very limited in-person learning was taking place. Though online and blended learning formats existed before the pandemic, the use of these formats became more common as the pandemic required us to become remote in our everyday lives not just in education. There are a variety of learning formats that have been implemented across education. The first is the traditional fully in-person learning format. Courses meet in person for all scheduled class meetings. There is plenty of opportunities for in-person connection and networking, which many learners and professionals find effective. It is also a more preferred option for those who do not have access to technology or do not learn well when it is heavily utilized. The downside is that there is much less flexibility in terms of schedule. A second format is a fully online synchronous format where courses meet online for 100% of their scheduled meetings. There is also the fully online asynchronous format where there are no or limited scheduled meetings where learners complete coursework independently or at their own pace. The fully online formats were popular with online college programs due to their flexibility for students to fit their learning into their busy schedules. This format became even more popular at the start of the pandemic because it allowed learning to take place remotely. Some may find this format less preferable because there is not much opportunity for in-person connection, communication, and networking among students and educators. Another popular format is hybrid learning, which is a blended learning format where part of the learning takes place independently online either synchronously or asynchronously while the rest of the learning time takes place in person. This format is beneficial, and some say more preferable because it offers the attributes of both online and in-person learning. Online and hybrid have both increased access for people to pursue an education, and some even find these options more affordable. It is estimated that 55% of US colleges offer fully online or blended learning courses with a small percentage that continue to offer only in-person learning options. Many students, educators, and institutions have taken the opportunity in the past few years to explore the various learning formats and find out the benefits and drawbacks of each of them.

A young student is sitting in front of a computer
in their home, wearing headphones, using the
computer mouse, and appears to be participating
in online distance learning. 

My experience with in-person vs. online and hybrid learning has been a very valuable experience. The pandemic started at the end of my senior year of high school, so I finished up final assignments and took end-of-course tests and AP tests all online from my home. I do not really count that experience because everyone was just diving in and trying to figure everything out as we went. I was lucky that my high school had already been using LMS programs like Canvas and eLearn, so I was able to efficiently finish up my senior year. Once I came to UTK for my freshman year, I had all online courses that met via Zoom, so it was definitely an interesting experience. For my less rigorous courses, there was not much of a problem, I was able to do well with the online format and get a valuable learning experience. For my more rigorous math courses, I really struggled to get used to learning math more independently in the online format. Going back to the majority of my courses in person has really been valuable because I realized how much an in-person classroom community really helps me stay engaged and focused while learning. I would say that my ideal class schedule in terms of meeting format would be one fully online asynchronous course, one or two hybrid courses, and the rest in-person. I think it provides a nice balance with still forming a community in some courses while still getting experience with working independently and at my own pace. The preference varies from learner to learner, but I think getting experience with all formats is great to find out what works best for you!