Strengths And Weaknesses Of Face -To -Face Education And Distance Education

Strengths and weaknesses of face -to -face education and distance education

Education has always been a subject of utmost importance, independent to the degree or scope to which it is directed, which has had a great change and evolution in recent years, the implementation of new learning techniques and tools that facilitate it, such as theuse of technology in support of it.

Nowadays we are in a technological era, where all regardless of age, gender, profession or occupation we are immersed and related to it, we have even become dependent without realizing it, either by fun, work or education.

Currently, not only in Mexico but worldwide education has taken a total, emerging and instantaneous turn, without previous training or preparation, only with personal improvisation and creativity as tools.

We can see a before and after, a face -to -face education that we have known and have been prepared for a long time;On the other hand, distance education, which was previously a choice and is now an obligation, to which we are all adapting and little by little we discover.

But what would be the strengths and weaknesses of these two forms of education?. 

The strengths of face -to -face education are the following:

• The teacher – students relationship. This modality allows both the teacher and the student to know the skills and areas of opportunity in each.
• More practical and dynamic classes. Being face -to -face, exercises that reinforce the class or topic to develop can be carried out.

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• Social relationships. It allows to create social skills among equals, as well as a sense of belonging. 
• No dependence on the technological team. You can use books or didactic manuals to carry out classes. 
• Sense of responsibility and attachment to the rules. Develops in the student a doctrine attached to the discipline. 

On the other hand, some of the weaknesses of face -to -face education are:

• Numerous Student Group. When the number of participants is greater, dispersion or lack of control can be reached, without concluding a topic. 
• Location, transfer and environmental factors. The fact that the student has the need to mobilize from a point A to a point B requires time, economic expenses and risks of suffering an accident or setback to attend classes.
• Continuous absence of the teacher. For reasons outside the teacher, a delay in the educational program can be generated, which causes low academic use in the student.
• Lack of teaching material. Many low -income schools do not have the minimum indispensable tools for adequate academic development.
• Personal conflicts. If there are differences between teacher – student or vice versa also student – student, which can trigger a hostile environment in the classroom.

Speaking now of distance education with which we live today it can be said that their strengths are the following:

• Easy access to education. Which allows access to a class anywhere in the world you are in, just by having a computer equipment and an internet connection.
• Time organization. which gives the student the ease of establishing their study schedules in relation to their daily activities.
• Economic savings, time and risks. The student having the opportunity to study from a home computation team and not necessarily move to an educational institution, decrease transportation and food expenses, as well as the time spent and the risks of an accident or setback.
• Audiovisual support. Audiovisual tools help the student learning more practical and efficient. 
• Interactive platforms and debate. Reinforces in the student the ability to question and discuss a subject, as well as an active listening in ideas other than those themselves by expanding the perspectives and possibilities.

In contrast, some of the weaknesses of distance education are:

• Professor Relationship – Students. For its part, this modality makes it difficult for the teacher to identify difficulties in learning his students, by performing some specific activity or exercise.
• Monotony in classes. Being just an alternative and way of developing classes, that is, only using the monitor and slides, can generate disinterest in the student and little participation from it.
• Lack of discipline and perseverance. If both the student and the teacher do not have good habits of personal organization and discipline, it will make it difficult to meet the objectives established in the educational plan. 
• Deficiency or technological problems. The technology is unpredictable, therefore when some technical failure is presented before or during class, the continuity of the topic that is addressed is lost, as well as the learning of the same.
• Greater charge of jobs and tasks. Being a new form of teaching for most teachers, the appropriate time distribution for activities in classes is not made, which causes what should be done in class has to be done in hours outside it, causing aExtra job load for the student.

Both teaching – learning methods can have their advantages and disadvantages, not only in the educational aspect, but in the family and personal level that now relates more than ever. Therefore, it is important to identify and analyze these strengths and weaknesses, to focus on the modality that we work today, distance education.

From the personal point of view, the distance education method applied at the higher level is considered functional and practical;It is a very good option for the maturity and commitment that the disconter has to develop academically, because it does not depend on a supervision by parents or guardians, it allows to organize the time to carry out other activities, as well as create their own study planto its routine, etc. 

Another important points is that it reinforces aspects such as creativity, analysis, research, decision making and, in times of academic difficulty create their own resources to solve doubts or issues, obtaining solutions by themselves.

Unlike a distance education for basic and upper level, it can be seen as a complex and unfceptual task, since the support and supervision of the parents – teachers is necessary, since the student still lacks commitment, organization and personal responsibilityand independent. 

A concept that is related and should be taken into account in this educational modality is empathy, to understand from the position of teachers the above, the student is using all their resources to learn, therefore it is necessary to work inThat aspect and assess the result of expressed learning (tasks, jobs, activities).

Finally, it is part of the new normality to which it is necessaryEach individual to learn and develop in something new, which consequently will bring people of value and improvement for society.