To meet the growing needs of food for the increasing population, country should make use of genetically engineered foods. However, some people believe that GM foods are not only unhealthy but affect the nature too.Do you agree or disagree about this

Although

many people think it is a modern phenomenon,

distance

learning has been around for at least 200 years in one form or another. Historical examples of long-

distance

learning include students being sent a series of weekly lessons by post. The technological advances of the past 20 or so years,

however

, have meant that

this

form of education is now able to rival face-to-face learning as a credible alternative. Indeed, 1996 saw the establishment of the world’s

first

‘virtual university’ in the United States, showing how far

distance

learning has come in a relatively short space of time. When comparing the

two

systems, the

first

and most obvious area to focus on is the way that learning is delivered.

Distance

learning is heavily dependent on technology, particularly the internet. On a face-to-face course, students may only require a computer for the purpose of writing an essay. In comparison, when learning remotely, technology is the principal means of communication. The flexibility

this

provides means that students may be better able to learn at their own pace, following their own timetable, but it may

also

mean that learners have to be well-organized and self-disciplined. They must

therefore

be highly motivated in order to do well on the

distance

-learning courses. In terms of the teacher-student relationship, the core principles remain the same. Namely, the teacher is the ‘knower’

,

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and is responsible for helping students understand the key components of the course.

However

, the nature of the relationship may differ slightly within the

two

modes of delivery. With face-to-face learning, the teacher and student have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship through lectures, seminars and tutorials.

This

is different from a

distance

learning course, where the teacher may seldom or indeed never actually meet the student.

This

may make it hard for teachers to understand their learners’ specific learning needs. For many students, interaction with their peers is the best aspects of university education. Generally, students like to meet regularly and talk to people on the same program.

However

,

this

kind of interaction on a

distance

-learning system is less common.

Although

people can increasingly interact through online conversations and message boards, there is a significant difference between virtual and real interaction. Time and geography must

also

be considered when contrasting these

two

types of learning. Face-to-face learning must take place in real-time and in one location.

Conversely

,

distance

learning can happen at any time and in any location, since the learning is not restricted by geography. In conclusion, it is difficult to state whether

such

a form of learning is better than another, as they cater to different audiences. What is important to understand is the different ways in which they operate, and that there are strong similarities between the

two

systems, which can both produce positive results.