Universities and colleges are now offering qualifications through distance learning from the internet rather than teachers in the classroom. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Universities and colleges are now offering qualifications through distance learning from the internet rather than teachers in the classroom. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
The prevalence of offering qualifications through online learning from tertiaries is enjoying an upsurge of popularity among young people in recent years. This situation has surely brought about both benefits and drawbacks, and these are discussed in this essay.
One obvious benefit of this scenario is that it is convenient for learners to have access to education. By this I mean, they do not have to commute to school, and they also can be flexible to allocate their quality time reasonably to other issues. Another important advantage that needs to be taken into account is that this trend helps to mitigate the financial burden for many students. In particular, most prestigious universities, which are dreamt of by my students, often locate in the big cities. Therefore, students have to live far from their hometown to move to the city where they have to pay for a variety of living expenses like accommodation, utility bills,
Unfortunately, on the other hand, this practice could also be detrimental in terms of uncontrollable quality of learning and ineffective interaction. Firstly, some people apply for distance learning to facilitate the process of achieving a diploma rather than focusing on the knowledge because online learning may not check undergraduates’ attendance as strictly as offline learning. Moreover, it is also hard to supervise the students when there are some small tests, leading to fake scores and outcomes. According to a recent study conducted by an army of professors in HANU University, they revealed that there are more than 80 per cent of test done by chat GPT, which means students overuse the privilege when learning online and they ignore the knowledge. Secondly, many undergraduates advocate that face-to-face interaction with teachers and peers is more engaging and effective because it is not only about the knowledge but also the opportunities to make friends and connect with people in person. For example, some subjects require the direct instruction and hands-on experience like with the subject related to chemicals, students have to do experiment in person and teachers have to instruct them meticulously before doing it and supervise them carefully in the meantime.
In conclusion, with all its merits and demerits, this trend can exert a double-edged impact on our lives. Therefore, it is suggested that we need to be fully aware of all the pitfalls and unhappiness that are associated with it before any necessary action can be taken to avoid negative consequences. On the other hand, I would argue that the downsides described above are eclipsed by a variety of positive points.
