Ahmad Work

The present purpose of the project is to compare students' performance and experience in both
traditional face-to-face learning and online learning. The sudden growth of e-learning has aided
many students in motivating themselves to assume more responsibility for their own knowledge
acquisition (Ituma, 2011). Traditional face-to-face instruction uses a teacher-centered style where
the speaker imparts knowledge to the students without much participation from them other than a
few pertinent questions. (Prosser et al., 2005; Harden and Crosby, 2000).
Instead of merely disseminating material, the lecturer now facilitates or manages the students'
learning in less conventional lectures, which has resulted in a stronger focus on student-centered
learning (Balluerka et al., 2008). Online learning, as opposed to traditional face-to-face learning,
may have the potential to produce more in-depth discussions and to improve the quality of
learning due to the more self-directed learning assumed to occur in online environments. It may
also have the practical benefits of encouraging wider student participation and improving the
cost-effectiveness of education (Smith and Hardaker, 2000; Alexander, 2001). Flipped
classrooms are a current example, where students participate in active learning (typically through
vodcasts or online debates) while the teacher supports and scaffolds their learning (Strayer,
2012).
It is vital to have a knowledge of best practises in this field that is based on research given the
potential pedagogical benefits of online learning. The training that lecturers receive for creating
online resources appears to be inconsistent, despite the growing academic interest in e-learning.
This might be a product of a broad study basis. For instance, several studies (e.g., Rossman,
1999; Twigg, 2003; O'Neill et al., 2004) have emphasised the effectiveness, content, and delivery
strategy that teaching professionals have established, but the perspectives and experiences of the
students themselves have been generally ignored (Alexander, 2001; Holley and Oliver, 2010;
Ituma, 2011) It is vital to have a knowledge of best practises in this field that is based on research
given the potential pedagogical benefits of online learning. The training that lecturers receive for
creating online resources appears to be inconsistent, despite the growing academic interest in e-
learning. This might be a product of a broad study basis. For instance, several studies (e.g.,
Rossman, 1999; Twigg, 2003; O'Neill et al., 2004) have emphasised the effectiveness, content,
and delivery strategy that teaching professionals have established, but the perspectives and
experiences of the students themselves have been generally ignored (Alexander, 2001; Holley
and Oliver, 2010; Ituma, 2011).
Numerous online-only courses have been developed as a result of the global trend toward online
learning, and institutions in Australia are no exception (e.g., Bell et al., 2002; Tucker et al.,
2013). However, compared to traditional face-to-face classrooms, the student experience in
online courses is distinct, and patterns of participation appear to vary between the two (Robinson
and Hullinger, 2008). For instance, Otter et al. (2013) discovered that students in online-only
classrooms felt more distant from their friends and professors, more pressure to be self-directed
in their studies, and less support from their professor than their professors believed. The
technological demands of online learning can sometimes intimidate students, especially if they
begin without enough technical help or understanding.Zhang and Perris, 2004; Holley and
Oliver, 2010).
The majority of the study conducted so far has concentrated on completely online courses.
However, more and more face-to-face courses are starting to include certain online components.
In these courses, conventional in-class activities are complemented by online activities rather
than being replaced by them (Ituma, 2011). But very little is known about how students react to
this type of "blended e-learning," particularly when they had signed up for a face-to-face session
rather than one they had anticipated would be done online. As there are potentially significant
ramifications for student engagement, performance, and attrition, this constitutes a significant
vacuum in the body of research on education. Although the size of these impacts may be slight,
participation in conventional classrooms is generally related with academic success and student
engagement.
According to some study, using learning technology can boost student engagement and learning
(Chen et al., 2010), and flipped classrooms are a potential student-centered paradigm that are
now in use (e.g., Galway et al., 2014). However, a closer look at these beneficial effects is
necessary since they appear to depend on the characteristics of the online activities and how the
students engage with them. For instance, Davies and Graff (2005) showed that students who
interacted and participated more in online conversation did not substantially outperform those
who were less engaged in that topic in terms of their academic achievement. Evans et al. (2004)
shown, however, that students performed much better when their online course materials were
accessible through an interactive, navigable style rather than via a sequence of scrollable web-
pages. In comparison to more conventional, face-to-face classrooms, there is conflicting
information about the extent to which various online activities may aid or interfere with students'
grades.
The students will be able to choose at least some components of online learning over traditional
classrooms and face-to-face instruction for a number of reasons. Previous studies have shown
that the additional time provided for online activities may enable students to think about the
course material more critically and reflectively, resulting to a better knowledge of the course
topic, as opposed to the quicker, real-time pace of face-to-face classrooms (e.g., Ramsden, 1992;
Robinson and Hullinger, 2008). Others have asserted that because e-learning is less
confrontational and personal, it can allow shyer students to participate more and feel less
pressure than they would in face-to-face encounters (Warschauer, 1997; Hobbs, 2002).
There are other reasons, too, why students might favour more conventional in-class activities.
Despite the fact that social connectivity may be obtained online (Grieve et al., 2013), the
majority of students believe that in-person interactions are crucial for creating a feeling of
community (Conole et al., 2008). Students may believe that online conversation diminishes their
sense of community with their peers and tutors, even when classes are only partially online.
Additionally, on a practical level, completing assignments online requires more self-motivation
from students than doing it in-person, when the lecturer serves as the incentive (Upton, 2006).
Therefore, rather than focusing just on one or the other, it is critical to examine how students
perceive both in-person and online learning situations.

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The present purpose of the project is to compare students' performance and experience in both

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