Some universities now offer their
courses on the Internet so that people can study online.
Is this a positive or negative
development?
It
is true that online courses are becoming a common feature of university
education. Although there are some drawbacks of Internet-based learning, I
would argue that there are far more benefits.
The
main drawback of the trend towards online university courses is that there is
less direct interaction. Students may not have the opportunity to engage
face-to-face with their teachers, and will instead have to rely on written
forms of communication. Similarly, students who study online do not come into
direct contact with each other, and this could have a negative impact on peer
support, discussion and exchange of ideas. For example, whereas students on
traditional courses can attend seminars and even discuss their subjects over
coffee after lessons, online learners are restricted to chatting through
website forum areas. These learners may also lack the motivation and element of
competition that face-to-face group work brings.
Despite
the negatives mentioned above, I believe that online university courses are a
positive development for various reasons. Firstly, they allow learners to study
in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever and wherever is
convenient, and they can cover the material at their own pace. Secondly, the
cost of a university education can be greatly reduced, while revenues for
institutions may increase as more students can be taught. Finally, online
learning offers open access to anybody who is willing to study, regardless of
age, location, ability and background. For example, my uncle, who is 65 years
old, has recently enrolled on an online MBA course in a different country,
which would have been impossible in the days before Internet-based education.
In
conclusion, while I recognise the possible disadvantages of online learning, I
consider it to be a positive development overall.
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