Within​ ​the​ ​current​ ​era​ ​of​ ​technological​ ​advancements​ ​and​ ​an​ ​influx​ ​of​ ​information technology,​ ​the​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​academia​ ​has​ ​experienced​ ​a​ ​drastic​ ​shift.​ ​

This​ ​shift​ ​has​ ​contributed​ ​to the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​an​ ​accredited​ ​education​ ​without​ ​the​ ​means​ ​of​ ​a​ ​traditional​ ​classroom setting.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​an​ ​increased​ ​number​ ​of​ ​students​ ​are​ ​enrolling​ ​in​ ​online​ ​classes​, ​which​ ​has​ ​proven to​ ​be​ ​greatly​ ​beneficial​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​detrimental​, ​in​ ​a​ ​few​ ​respects.  As​ ​it​ ​pertains​ ​to​ ​a​ ​traditional​ ​education​, ​students​ ​often​ ​have​ ​a​ ​daily​ ​class schedule​ ​and​ ​receive​ ​instruction​ ​from​ ​their​ ​educators. ​There​ ​are​ ​a​ ​myriad​ ​of​ ​pros​ ​to​ ​this​ ​form​ ​of education.​ ​

Students​ ​who​ ​are​ ​more​ ​inclined​ ​to​ ​lose​ ​focus​ ​and​ ​require​ ​a​ ​stricter​ ​education​ ​often find​ ​that​ ​traditional​ ​classes​ ​suit​ ​their​ ​needs​ ​in​ ​particular.​ ​

In​ ​a​ ​case​ ​in​ ​which​ ​a​ ​student​ ​is evaluating​ ​whether​ ​traditional​ ​classes​ ​are​ ​suitable​ ​for​ ​them,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​take​ ​their​ ​learning styles​ ​into​ ​consideration.​ ​Also,​ ​traditional​ ​classes​ ​increase​ ​the​ ​likelihood​ ​that​ ​a​ ​student​ ​will​ ​stay on​ ​task​ ​as​ ​there​ ​is​ ​little​ ​to​ ​no​ ​room​ ​for​ ​late​ ​assignments​ ​and​ ​leniency​ ​in​ ​regard​ ​to​ ​due​ ​dates.

Within​ ​a​ ​traditional​ ​class​ ​setting,​ ​students​ ​are​ ​also​ ​given​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​engage​ ​with​ ​their professors​ ​on​ ​a​ ​student​ ​to​ ​professor​ ​level,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​dependent​ ​on​ ​the​ ​class​ ​size.​ ​The​ ​professor​ ​to student​ ​ratio​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ ​class​ ​size​ ​is​ ​often​ ​necessary​ ​in​ ​considering​ ​whether​ ​this​ ​pro​ ​is​ ​actually a​ ​con.​ ​

Traditional​ ​classes​ ​also​ ​give​ ​the​ ​student​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​be​ ​less​ ​distracted,​ ​if​ ​they​ ​would​ ​like to​ ​be.​ ​If​ ​a​ ​student​ ​is​ ​prone​ ​to​ ​social​ ​engagements​ ​with​ ​other​ ​students,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​personal​ ​decision​ ​that can​ ​easily​ ​take​ ​away​ ​from​ ​the​ ​benefit​ ​of​ ​a​ ​traditional​ ​education.

On​ ​another​ ​note,​ ​online​ ​classes​ ​provide​ ​students​ ​with​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​within​ ​any setting​ ​or​ ​context​ ​in​ ​which​ ​they​ ​desire,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​highly​ ​beneficial​ ​or​ ​detrimental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​student depending​ ​on​ ​their​ ​extra​ ​curricular​ ​lifestyles.​ ​

In​ ​my​ ​opinion,​ ​online​ ​classes​ ​are​ ​beginning​ ​to make​ ​the​ ​traditional​ ​education​ ​obsolete,​ ​as​ ​their​ ​pros​ ​greatly​ ​outweigh​ ​their​ ​cons.​ ​Within​ ​a traditional​ ​class​ ​setting,​ ​notions​ ​of​ ​flexibility,​ ​motivation,​ ​distractions,​ ​and​ ​social​ ​engagement​ ​are dependent​ ​on​ ​other​ ​factors​ ​and​ ​often​ ​vague​ ​in​ ​regard​ ​to​ ​whether​ ​they​ ​are​ ​truly​ ​beneficial​ ​or detrimental​ ​in​ ​these​ ​respects.​ ​

Online​ ​classes​ ​prove​ ​to​ ​be​ ​quite​ ​clear​ ​in​ ​their​ ​potential​ ​to​ ​benefit the​ ​student​ ​in​ ​question.​

​As​ ​it​ ​pertains​ ​to​ ​flexibility,​ ​students​ ​have​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​structure​ ​their education​ ​in​ ​ways​ ​that​ ​suit​ ​their​ ​often​ ​demanding​ ​schedules.​ ​Also,​ ​self​ ​motivated​ ​students​ ​who are​ ​not​ ​phased​ ​by​ ​the​ ​concept​ ​of​ ​having​ ​more​ ​limited​ ​social​ ​engagements​ ​may​ ​find​ ​this​ ​form​ ​of education​ ​greatly​ ​beneficial.

The​ ​sole​ ​con​ ​of​ ​taking​ ​an​ ​online​ ​course​ ​lies​ ​around​ ​the​ ​premise​ ​of​ ​distractions. Distractions​ ​may​ ​manifest​ ​themselves​ ​in​ ​procrastination​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​larger​ ​window​ ​of​ ​time​ ​to​ ​turn in​ ​assignments.​ ​It​ ​may​ ​also​ ​come​ ​in​ ​the​ ​form​ ​of​ ​focusing​ ​on​ ​extra​ ​curricular​ ​activities​ ​such​ ​as work​ ​and​ ​entertainment​ ​to​ ​the​ ​detriment​ ​of​ ​the​ ​students​ ​education.​ ​

With​ ​that​ ​being​ ​said,​ ​online classes​ ​are​ ​still​ ​by​ ​far​ ​the​ ​most​ ​suitable​ ​form​ ​of​ ​education.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​according​ ​to​ ​a​ ​study​ ​from​ ​the U.S​ ​Department​ ​of​ ​Education,​ ​“​students​ ​who​ ​took​ ​all​ ​or​ ​part​ ​of​ ​their​ ​instruction​ ​online performed​ ​better ​on​ ​average ​than​ ​those​ ​taking​ ​the​ ​same​ ​course​ ​through​ ​face-to-face instruction.”​

So​ ​when​ ​considering​ ​whether​ ​an​ ​online​ ​vers​us ​traditional​ ​class​ ​would​ ​be​ ​more beneficial ​for​ ​you,​ ​take​ ​your​ ​study​ ​habits ​into​ ​consideration​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ ​the fact ​that online​ ​classes​ ​are​ known to be better than traditional classes.