Conflicting opinions exist on universities and colleges providing qualifications via online learning rather than traditional instructions in person. Despite certain merits, I believe the drawbacks far outweighs them for several reasons.
One significant benefit of this trend is accessibility. In other words, individuals can access to the online courses anytime and anywhere as long as they can access to the internet, removing geographical barriers and risk of relocation. Those who have physical issues, for instance, may benefit from this online learning as they do not need to travel from houses to classrooms every day.
One major adverse aspect, on the other hand, is the lack of interaction with people. Universities and colleges serve not only as academic institutions but also venues to encourage communication within people from different backgrounds, fostering diversity within communities. Furthermore, this phenomenon potentially exacerbate disparities between people. Some individuals who have limited access to the internet or digital literacy issues may find online learning challenging, yielding inequalities within students. For example, during the pandemic when most of lectures were done online, pupils who did not own personal electronic devices faced difficulty to access to the educational materials on the internet.
In conclusion, while offering academic degrees via remote learning from the internet may enhance accessibility, it potentially pose a threat to a seamless interaction between students and professors and aggravate unfair opportunities within pupils, overshadowing the merits. As a result, it is imperative to address this issue and encourage a more balanced approach to mitigate inequalities within learners.
