Band 6+: More and more colleges and universities are offering courses via distance learning. Distance learning has many benefits, but there are also drawbacks, and not every learner will be suited to this mode of study. To what extent do tou agree or disagree?

In many colleges and universities today, distance learning is commonly used in delivering courses. Although distance learning has contributed to learners, it has some shortcomings because not all learners suit the teaching method. I argue that its drawbacks over the benefits would be experienced by certain learners and that will be presented in this essay.

Distance learning is beneficial for students in several ways. Firstly, distance learning provides a lot of teaching materials that are available on the internet for learners, so they can access it online and free from anywhere. This situation enables students to keep abreast of news and information such as online journals, e-book and so on. Also, distance learning allows students to interact with other learners around the world. They make friends abroad, so that gives a valuable experience that goes beyond traditional classroom learning.

Despite these advantages, there are notable disadvantages to distance learning. The existence of cases of learning difficulties posed by students during the Covid-19 pandemic made students not understand the subjects that were given. For instance, learners who are not technology-savvy, and unfamiliar with technology, particularly adults, struggle to access teaching materials from online platforms. Even though the teaching materials can be accessed via online, in some cases, students may no longer have an internet connection, a device to use, internet fees, or a space to learn in. These problems may arise for learners who live in remote areas and have lower-middle-income backgrounds. Moreover, distance learning does not require a direct meeting between students and teachers, and that would diminish the sense of belonging in the social community and make it difficult to run physical education in the classroom such as sports, medical, and laboratory experiments courses. Consequently, the learning process cannot be achieved effectively.

In conclusion, there are undeniable reasons that having a distance learning brings about further drawbacks compared to the benefits. Some adults and people who are not adaptive with technology and live in remote areas and have lower-middle-income backgrounds, are two participants affected by the limitation of distance learning.