Tertiary education is one of the most vital parts of most people’s lives. Courses on the Internet offered by some universities have become accessible for the purposes of helping students study online. I contend that this trend might bring both advantages and disadvantages.
There are some clear drawbacks of offering online lessons for universities. Firstly, it can result in a decline in enrollment of students. As long as online lessons are available for students, some students might not apply to universities. Students from foreign countries would be a pertinent example. Once they can access to online courses of universities, they could opt for studying online rather than living and studying abroad which can cost a fortune. Another compelling reason why this change can lead to a setback for universities is that the total revenue of universities may decrease if they offer their lessons on the Internet. Although those online courses are not free of charge, the profit which comes from online courses would not reach equal levels with tuition fees that students pay when they study offline at university. Hence, conducting online lessons for students might appear to be disadvantageous for universities.
Nevertheless, there are several contributing factors that universities and students can benefit from televised lessons. The growing popularity of universities can be attributed to this change. If universities offer online lessons for students, it is more likely that universities might gain more popularity among people thanks to the Internet and social media. An increasing number of students might consider studying at universities after watching the online versions of lessons. Moreover, regarding advantages for learners, high quality education could become widespread after universities offer their lessons on the Internet. Prestigious universities such as Harvard University and Oxford University, for instance, can share lessons by professors with high qualifications online, resulting in widespread access to online programs by high-ranking universities throughout the world. For these reasons, online lessons can be useful for both universities and students.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that despite the fact that online courses may reduce the number of foreign students and revenue of universities, this change is predominantly positive on the grounds that it may contribute to the growing popularity of universities and quality education.