Band 6+: Nowadays, distance learning programs have gained popularity, but some people argue that online courses can never be taken as good as those taken at a college or university in- person. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In this day and age, there have existed numerous state-of-the-art facilities and technologies that allow students and learners to study without having to go to school, but some individuals feel that face to face learning is still at the top in all study methods. In my opinion, although distance-learning has tremendous benefit to human lifes, people should select the traditional study method.

Despite unequivocal convenience, distance-learning still contains some drawbacks. First of all, the biggest advantage could be seen through this method is that both students and teachers can learn and teach anywhere and anytime as long as they can connect to the wifi. Besides that, learners can also record their lessons and lectures at their schools which is able to enhance their study performance because they can relearn the knowledge they may not understand. However, all the aforementioned advantages will only be effective if learners have high self-awareness and self-study because in almost all online study cases, the teacher can not see the student’s behavior due to lack of vision. In addition, notifications from the smartphone or computer are also the factors that influence a student’s study progress. Therefore, distance-learning might be not guaranteed and inconsistent.

Regarding study at a college or university, teachers and professors can easily observe whether their students study or not. Hence, they will have the suitable option to promote and remind students. As a result, the focus of students can be guaranteed and increased, which is the main factor that makes the lesson successful. Furthermore, through face-to-face study, teachers can also organize some games to make the class more interesting, which can occupy student’s attention. Last but not least, traditional learning also makes students understand easier thanks to the fact that they can clearly ask and discuss with their lecturer the part that they do not know well enough.

In conclusion, although learning through online platform bring a numerous benefits to both learners and teachers, it is not as good as learning directly at colleges and universities due to lack of focus.