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 leaners 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.
的確,網(wǎng)絡(luò)課程正在成為大學(xué)教育的一個(gè)共同特點(diǎn)。雖然基于網(wǎng)絡(luò)的學(xué)習(xí)有一些缺點(diǎn),但我認(rèn)為有更多的好處。
網(wǎng)絡(luò)大學(xué)課程的主要缺點(diǎn)是直接互動(dòng)較少。學(xué)生可能沒(méi)有機(jī)會(huì)與老師面對(duì)面交流,而不得不依賴書(shū)面的交流方式。同樣,在網(wǎng)上學(xué)習(xí)的學(xué)生不會(huì)直接接觸到對(duì)方,這可能會(huì)對(duì)同伴的支持、討論和思想交流產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。例如,雖然傳統(tǒng)課程的學(xué)生可以參加研討會(huì),甚至在課后學(xué)習(xí)咖啡,但在線學(xué)習(xí)者只能通過(guò)網(wǎng)站論壇聊天。這些學(xué)習(xí)者也可能缺乏面對(duì)面組工作帶來(lái)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的動(dòng)機(jī)和元素。
盡管上面提到的消極,我相信網(wǎng)上大學(xué)課程是一個(gè)積極的發(fā)展,由于各種原因。首先,他們?cè)试S學(xué)習(xí)者以靈活的方式學(xué)習(xí),這意味著他們可以隨時(shí)隨地地工作,他們可以按自己的速度覆蓋材料。第二,大學(xué)教育的成本可以大大降低,而學(xué)校的收入可能會(huì)隨著學(xué)生的增加而增加。最后,在線學(xué)習(xí)為任何愿意學(xué)習(xí)的人提供了開(kāi)放的機(jī)會(huì),無(wú)論年齡、地點(diǎn)、能力和背景如何。例如,我65歲的叔叔最近在一個(gè)不同的國(guó)家注冊(cè)了在線MBA課程,這在網(wǎng)絡(luò)教育之前是不可能的。
總之,雖然我認(rèn)識(shí)到在線學(xué)習(xí)可能存在的缺點(diǎn),但我認(rèn)為這是一個(gè)積極的發(fā)展。