Session vs. Class — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 6, 2023
A session is a meeting or period devoted to a particular activity, while a class is a series of such meetings in an educational course.
Difference Between Session and Class
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A session typically refers to any meeting or period allotted for a particular activity. It can be part of a class, a conference, or even a therapy period. Classes, on the other hand, denote regular meetings in the context of an education system, often following a curriculum. Each session of a class contributes to the overall course objectives.
In a class, there is a structured approach to learning, typically led by an instructor or teacher. A session may be less formal, serving as a standalone event or part of a series, which does not necessarily involve traditional teaching or a syllabus. For example, a yoga session versus a yoga class; the session focuses on one sequence, while the class might be part of a longer instructional series.
Sessions are about duration and are defined by the time they begin and end, which can range from minutes to hours. Classes involve not just time but also content, progression, and educational outcomes. A session can be part of a class, but a class is composed of multiple sessions that build upon one another.
A conference might have multiple sessions with different focuses, while a class is usually centered around one subject. The term session is broader, sometimes referring to legislative or judicial periods, while class is almost exclusively educational.
A therapist may have multiple sessions with a client, each addressing different topics. In contrast, a class on psychology would follow a planned sequence of sessions that cumulatively aim to impart a comprehensive understanding of psychology to the students.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A meeting or period devoted to an activity.
A series of educational meetings.
Context
Broad, can be educational or other activities.
Primarily educational.
Structure
May or may not follow a sequence.
Follows a curriculum and is structured.
Duration
Single or multiple occurrences, time-bound.
Comprises multiple sessions, often longer-term.
Purpose
Can be for various activities, not just learning.
For learning and educational development.
Compare with Definitions
Session
A meeting of a legislative or judicial body.
Congress was in session for several months.
Class
Arrange or order by classes or categories;
How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?
Session
A recording occasion for musicians.
They completed the album in just three sessions.
Class
A course of instruction in a particular subject.
She's taking a class in digital marketing.
Session
A period devoted to a specific activity.
The therapy session lasted for two hours.
Class
A category of things having common characteristics.
This car is in a class of its own.
Session
A single occurrence within a series.
We had our final training session today.
Class
Quality of excellence, style, or elegance.
The restaurant had a touch of class.
Session
A meeting of an official body, especially a legislature, council, or court of law, to conduct its business
The governor called this week's special session to reconsider the decision
Class
A set, collection, group, or configuration containing members regarded as having certain attributes or traits in common; a kind or category.
Session
A period devoted to a particular activity
Gym is followed by a training session
Class
A grade of mail
A package sent third class.
Session
The governing body of a Presbyterian Church.
Class
A quality of accommodation on public transport
Tourist class.
Session
A meeting of a legislative or judicial body for the purpose of transacting business.
Class
A social stratum whose members share certain economic, social, or cultural characteristics
The lower-income classes.
Session
A series of such meetings.
Class
Social rank or caste, especially high rank.
Session
The term or duration of time that is taken by such a series of meetings.
Class
(Informal)Elegance of style, taste, and manner
An actor with class.
Session
The part of a year or of a day during which a school holds classes.
Class
A group of students who are taught together, usually at a regularly scheduled time and in the same subject.
Session
A period of time devoted to a specific activity
A recording session at a music studio.
A login session that was disrupted by a power outage.
Class
The period during which such a group meets
Had to stay after class.
Session
A period devoted to a particular activity, e.g. the annual or semiannual periods of a legislative body (that together comprise the legislative term) whose individual meetings are also called sessions.
A training session
"Are we having a recording session?" / "Yes. We've even got some session musicians to provide some brass."
Class
The subject material taught to or studied by such a group
Found the math class challenging.
Session
A meeting of a council, court, school, or legislative body to conduct its business.
This court is now in session.
Class
A group of students or alumni who have the same year of graduation.
Session
(computing) The sequence of interactions between client and server, or between user and system; the period during which a user is logged in or connected.
Logging out or shutting down the computer will end your session.
Class
(Biology)A taxonomic category ranking below a phylum or division and above an order.
Session
(cricket) Any of the three scheduled two hour playing sessions, from the start of play to lunch, from lunch to tea and from tea to the close of play.
Class
(Statistics)An interval in a frequency distribution.
Session
(obsolete) The act of sitting, or the state of being seated.
Class
(Linguistics)A group of words belonging to the same grammatical category that share a particular set of morphological properties, such as a set of inflections.
Session
(music) jam session
Class
(Mathematics)A collection of sets whose members share a specified property.
Session
(education) An academic term
Class
To arrange, group, or rate according to qualities or characteristics; assign to a class; classify.
Session
(beer) An extended period of drinking, typically consuming beer with low alcohol content.
Class
(countable) A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
The new Ford Fiesta is set to be best in the 'small family' class.
That is one class-A heifer you got there, sonny.
Often used to imply membership of a large class.
This word has a whole class of metaphoric extensions.
Session
(music) To hold or participate in a jam session with other musicians.
Class
A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
Session
The act of sitting, or the state of being seated.
So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do import.
But Viven, gathering somewhat of his mood, . . . Leaped from her session on his lap, and stood.
Class
(uncountable) The division of society into classes.
Jane Austen's works deal with class in 18th-century England.
Session
The actual sitting of a court, council, legislature, etc., or the actual assembly of the members of such a body, for the transaction of business.
It's fit this royal session do proceed.
Class
(uncountable) Admirable behavior; elegance.
Apologizing for losing your temper, even though you were badly provoked, showed real class.
Session
Hence, also, the time, period, or term during which a court, council, legislature, etc., meets daily for business; or, the space of time between the first meeting and the prorogation or adjournment; thus, a session of Parliaments is opened with a speech from the throne, and closed by prorogation. The session of a judicial court is called a term.
It was resolved that the convocation should meet at the beginning of the next session of Parliament.
Class
A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.
The class was noisy, but the teacher was able to get their attention with a story.
Session
A meeting for execution of a group's functions;
It was the opening session of the legislature
Class
A series of lessons covering a single subject.
I took the cooking class for enjoyment, but I also learned a lot.
Session
The time during which a school holds classes;
They had to shorten the school term
Class
(countable) A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class.
The class of 1982 was particularly noteworthy.
Session
A meeting devoted to a particular activity;
A filming session
A gossip session
Class
(countable) A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation.
I used to fly business class, but now my company can only afford economy.
Session
A meeting of spiritualists;
The seance was held in the medium's parlor
Class
A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank.
Magnolias belong to the class Magnoliopsida.
Session
The time during which a school holds classes.
The morning session of school starts at 8 AM.
Class
Best of its kind.
It is the class of Italian bottled waters.
Class
(statistics) A grouping of data values in an interval, often used for computation of a frequency distribution.
Class
(set theory) A collection of sets definable by a shared property.
The class of all sets is not a set.
Every set is a class, but classes are not generally sets. A class that is not a set is called a proper class.
Class
(military) A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft.
Class
A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set in terms of its common properties, functions, etc.
An abstract base class
Class
One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader.
Class
(transitive) To assign to a class; to classify.
I would class this with most of the other mediocre works of the period.
Class
(intransitive) To be grouped or classed.
Class
(transitive) To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Class
Great; fabulous
Class
A group of individuals ranked together as possessing common characteristics; as, the different classes of society; the educated class; the lower classes.
Class
A number of students in a school or college, of the same standing, or pursuing the same studies.
Class
A comprehensive division of animate or inanimate objects, grouped together on account of their common characteristics, in any classification in natural science, and subdivided into orders, families, tribes, genera, etc.
Class
A set; a kind or description, species or variety.
She had lost one class energies.
Class
One of the sections into which a church or congregation is divided, and which is under the supervision of a class leader.
Class
One session of formal instruction in which one or more teachers instruct a group on some subject. The class may be one of a course of classes, or a single special session.
Class
A high degree of elegance, in dress or behavior; the quality of bearing oneself with dignity, grace, and social adeptness.
Class
To arrange in classes; to classify or refer to some class; as, to class words or passages.
Class
To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Class
To be grouped or classed.
The genus or family under which it classes.
Class
Exhibiting refinement and high character; as, a class act. Opposite of low-class
Class
People having the same social or economic status;
The working class
An emerging professional class
Class
A body of students who are taught together;
Early morning classes are always sleepy
Class
Education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings;
He took a course in basket weaving
Flirting is not unknown in college classes
Class
A collection of things sharing a common attribute;
There are two classes of detergents
Class
A body of students who graduate together;
The class of '97
She was in my year at Hoehandle High
Class
A league ranked by quality;
He played baseball in class D for two years
Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA
Class
Elegance in dress or behavior;
She has a lot of class
Class
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders
Class
A group of students who meet regularly to study a subject.
The science class conducted an experiment today.
Class
A group sharing the same economic or social status.
The upper class was noticeably affluent.
Common Curiosities
Can a session be part of a class?
Yes, classes are often divided into multiple sessions.
Is a class always educational?
Primarily, yes, though 'class' can also refer to categories in other contexts.
What is a session?
A session is a period dedicated to a particular activity or meeting.
What happens in a class?
A class involves systematic instruction in a subject, usually led by a teacher.
Can a conference be called a session?
A conference may have multiple sessions focusing on different topics.
Do sessions and classes have to be scheduled?
Generally, both are scheduled, but sessions can be more flexible.
Can a single session cover multiple topics?
Yes, a session can cover various topics, depending on its purpose.
Is there homework in both sessions and classes?
Homework is typically associated with classes rather than individual sessions.
What is a special session?
It's an extraordinary meeting of a legislative body, usually called for a specific purpose.
How long does a session last?
The duration of a session can vary, typically ranging from an hour to several hours.
How many sessions are in a typical class?
It depends on the course, but a class typically spans multiple sessions over a term.
Can anyone lead a session?
Yes, sessions can be led by various facilitators, while classes are usually led by instructors or teachers.
Does a class have to be in person?
No, classes can be in person or online.
Are workshops considered sessions or classes?
Workshops can be considered sessions, particularly if they are one-time or short-term.
What's a master class?
A master class is a special type of class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert or master.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
