There has been much controversy about whether virtual courses bring more benefits or drawbacks. In my opinion, allowing individuals to study from the comfort of their homes is more disadvantageous.
It is understandable why some people think that Internet-based courses is beneficial. One clear advantage of studying through Internet-based courses is that it provides flexibility and convenience. The reason is because online courses are available anytime and anywhere, which allows students to schedule their studies around other responsibilities. Such a benefit is especially important for working adults or single moms who have to be in charge of numerous tasks but want to access quality education.
However, I believe there are stronger benefits to virtual courses. First, students can easily be distracted as they are under no supervision when staying at home. For example, notifications from mobile phones or noises from construction sites nearby may prevent them from concentrating on their studies, thus leads to poorer academic performance. Furthermore, students may have little interaction with other people, such as their classmates or professors when attending online courses. This is due to the fact that they are unable to engage in in-person conversations, but mainly have a conversation through online platforms. Therefore, completing cooperative tasks like group assignments or group revisions may be harder. This is especially challenging for subjects that require collaboration.
In conclusion, it is apparent that virtual university courses bring about more disadvantages than merits.