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

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It is true that online courses are becoming more common in
university
Use synonyms
education.
Although
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there are some drawbacks of internet-based learning, I would argue that there are far more benefits. The main drawback of the trend towards online
university
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courses is that there is less direct interaction. Students may not have the opportunity to interact with their teachers face-to-face, and will
instead
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have to be okay with written forms of communication.
Similarly
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, student who study online do not get into direct contact with other students, and
this
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could have a negative impact on discussion and exchange ideas.
For example
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, whereas students in traditional courses can attend seminars and even discuss their lessons during class breaks, online learners are restricted to chatting through website forums. These learners may
also
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lack the motivation and competition that face-to-face group works bring. Despite the negatives mentioned above, I believe that online
university
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courses are a positive development for various reasons.
Firstly
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, they allow learners to study in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever or wherever is convenient.
Secondly
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, the cost of a
university
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education can be reduced, while revenues for institutions may increase as more students can be taught. Fşinally, online learning offers open access to anybody who is willing to study, regardless of age, location, ability and background.
For example
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, my aunt, who is 45 years old, has recently enrolled on an online sociology course, which would have been very hard to maintain in the days before internet-based education. In summary, while I accept the possible disadvantages of online learning, I consider it to be a positive development overall.

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Include an introduction and conclusion

A conclusion is essential for IELTS writing task 2. It is more important than most people realise. You will be penalised for missing a conclusion in your IELTS essay.

The easiest paragraph to write in an essay is the conclusion paragraph. This is because the paragraph mostly contains information that has already been presented in the essay – it is just the repetition of some information written in the introduction paragraph and supporting paragraphs.

The conclusion paragraph only has 3 sentences:

  • Summary
  • Restatement of thesis
  • Prediction or recommendation

Example:

To summarize, a robotic teacher does not have the necessary disciple to properly give instructions to students and actually works to retard the ability of a student to comprehend new lessons. Therefore, it is clear that the idea of running a classroom completely by a machine cannot be supported. After thorough analysis on this subject, it is predicted that the adverse effects of the debate over technology-driven teaching will always be greater than the positive effects, and because of this, classroom teachers will never be substituted for technology.

Start your conclusion with a linking phrase. Here are some examples:

  • In conclusion
  • To conclude
  • To summarize
  • Finally
  • In a nutshell
  • In general

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Distance learning
  • Flexible schedule
  • Virtual classroom
  • Digital resources
  • E-learning platforms
  • Asynchronous learning
  • Synchronous learning
  • Cost-effective
  • Self-paced study
  • Technical difficulties
  • Blended learning
  • Online modules
  • Remote access
  • Student engagement
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