The main difference between lecture and tutorial is their interactive nature. Lectures are delivered by lecturers, and students play a passive role in them, whereas tutorial sessions are conducted by tutors or lecturers interactively with the students’ collaboration.
Both lectures and tutorials are popular methods universities and colleges use to disseminate knowledge. However, there is a distinct difference between lecture and tutorial in terms of the audience, their focus, and the roles of the audience and lecturer.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is a Lecture
– Definition, Features
2. What is a Tutorial
– Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Lecture and Tutorial
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Lecture and Tutorial
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Lecture, Tutorial
What is a Lecture
A lecture is defined as an organized oral presentation of a particular subject matter. The intention of a lecture is to present information or teach people about a certain subject. For example, in colleges and universities, lectures are conducted for students. The person who is conducting the lecture is a lecturer. Generally, the lecturer stands in front of the lecture hall and delivers the lecture to the audience. This audience can include even hundreds of students.
Lecturing is the most common method of teaching in higher education. Nevertheless, this method has often been criticized as it is a passive learning method. In a lecture, the interaction of the audience is very less. But modern educational policies encourage student-centered learning methods within classrooms. Despite this, in most instances, lecture is the main teaching method, while other methods take second place.
What is a Tutorial
A tutorial is a teaching session involving a tutor and a small group of students. It is used in the field of education as a method of transferring knowledge. Thus, it is also a part of the learning process, just like a lecture. But tutorials are more interactive and specific than a lecture because tutors clearly explain information using many examples. Moreover, tutors, lecturers, or other academic staff members can conduct tutorial sessions. At the same time, tutorials caterer for a student or a small group of students. They give the students the opportunity to understand the facts about a certain subject matter better.
In some universities around the world, it is necessary to have tutorial sessions or tutorial hours for degree programs. The way in which tutorial sessions are conducted in countries can be different from one country to another. In countries like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the tutorial group may consist of 10-30 students. At the same time, some other countries may have 5-6 students in their tutorial sessions. The tutorial sessions focus on certain subject areas carefully. At the same time, selected supplementary activities related to the subject or the lesson are covered during tutorial sessions. Therefore, when students face difficulties in understanding facts, they can seek the help of these tutorial sessions.
Similarities Between Lecture and Tutorial
- Both lectures and tutorials are seen in the field of higher education.
- Lecturers or other academic staff conduct lectures and tutorials.
- Both disseminate knowledge.
Difference Between Lecture and Tutorial
Definition
A lecture is an organized verbal presentation of a particular subject matter, while a tutorial is a teaching session involving a tutor and a small group of students.
Audience
Moreover, lectures tend to have a bigger audience than tutorials. Lectures can have many students, whereas tutorials usually have a small group of students.
Field
Lectures are often used in the field of higher education, whereas tutorials are used in both secondary and tertiary education systems.
Focus
Lectures focus on the information and facts regarding a certain subject matter, whereas tutorials specifically focus on exact and specific facts in a subject.
Interaction
Although lectures are not very interactive, tutorial sessions are very interactive.
Role of the Student
The role of a student in a lecture is passive, but the role of a student in a tutorial is active.
Role of the Lecturer/Tutor
The role of the lecturer is active in lectures, whereas the role of the tutor is passive in the tutorial sessions since tutorials encourage more student-centered activities.
Conclusion
The main difference between lecture and tutorial is that tutorial sessions are more interactive than lectures, with students’ participation. In addition, tutorials only involve a small group of students, whereas lectures tend to have a bigger audience than tutorials.
Reference:
1. “Lecture” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
2. “Tutorial” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
Image Courtesy:
1. “University-lecture-campus-education” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Silent Way classroom with students working on aspects of English” By Ektal12 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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