Band 6+: Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online. Is this a positive or negative development?

In current days, it is becoming common to study online all over the world. In order to address this demand higher education institutes launch a wide range of courses on the Internet. I, personally, believe that this has been a positive development for two main reasons.

First and foremost, online courses provide access for everyone who wants to study no matter where they are located. Although it is true that studying online requires the availability of Internet network and electronic devices, it is difficult to deny that all of the necessary equipment has already become a part of peoples’ lives so that it would not be a serious obstacle even in less developed countries. In today’s fast paced world this is a huge opportunity as people can educate themselves by staying at home or from anywhere convenient for them and save their time concentrating on their studies only. This could be beneficial for busy people like parents with babies, or even for disabled people for whom it could be inconvenient to commute to the universities.

Another positive point is that, getting education online is highly likely to be more cost effective than studying offline. This is because universities save money which is usually spent on maintaining facilities and organizing study processes on campus. As a result, universities will be able to allocate financial resources not only on increasing the quality of course content, but also on scientific research. It leads to people having more opportunities to obtain high quality education at a relatively affordable fee and get a degree without being present at university at all. For instance, Harvard University, which is usually included in the top 3 world universities rankings, offers a variety of online courses, some of them are even free without any payment.

In conclusion, online courses are advantageous since they provide a unique opportunity to study from anywhere one prefers, and they make the process of getting higher education more affordable. Therefore, I believe that is a wholly positive trend for society.