Online Lectures vs In-Person Lectures – Amber Young – Townley Grammar School

University of Warwick student, Alyssa Young, said that she finds in-person lectures more beneficial than online lectures: “Getting up and physically going to a lecture really puts you in the correct mindset to learn, whereas waking up later and just turning your laptop on is demotivating.” Another Warwick student, Ania Opoczynska, says that in-person lectures provides a positive social aspect as forming bonds allow for academic discussion and further help learning, as well as feeling closer to the lecturer to be able to ask questions and interact more frequently.

For both Alyssa and Ania, a disadvantage of in-person lectures is not having the ability to rewind or repeat for better clarity until the lecture is over. They found that the scheduled time for the lecture could also clash with extracurriculars which are advertised throughout the university, therefore limiting you slightly more than if the lectures were online.

When University of Warwick student, Sophie Hadjineophytou, was asked about the pros and cons of online learning, she said “You can get easily distracted when watching a lecture on your own and you aren’t provided with real support if you don’t understand the material. There’s also a sense of dehumanisation of teaching when not sat in front of a lecturer. However, it’s positive because there’s better control of pace and easier to manage your time effectively.” Alyssa Young stated, “Connectivity issues can sometimes be a problem as portions of the lecture are sometimes missed or it’s difficult to see or hear, therefore hindering our learning.” On the other hand, Ania Opozynska said that usually there’s a clearer view of the slides/supporting material during online lectures.

Evidently, views on both in-person and online lectures vary across different people and often different courses. However, generally, students are said to have found learning in a lecture hall with other enthused people around you who are able to help with any questions and provide social interactions is much more beneficial than online learning.