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

There is a continuous trend nowadays among

students

to attend online courses organized by a number of universities. The opinions towards

this

phenomena are rather debatable and

this

essay will analyze both the positive outcomes and the drawbacks of

this

issue. On the one hand, online studying is definitely beneficial, especially for international

students

. The more the world develops, the more demanding the

university

education becomes. Providing one possesses an eagerness to acquire prosperous life,

then

he will undoubtedly need a diploma from a world reputable institution. Online education makes

this

opportunity more affordable. In detail, due to the Internet, the distance is likely not to be a disturbing circumstance anymore. Apart from

this

, a student will not be obliged to be far from his family, as long as he will be capable to attend the classes without leaving the borders of his native country.

Furthermore

, the additional expenditures,

for example

, with the form of renting accommodation, may

also

be eliminated. To illustrate, the number of international

students

at Oxford

University

has been approximately halved since 2019 due to the recent online programs.

On the other hand

, online studying influences negatively the socialization of the

students

. The lack of real communication contributes to emerging psychological difficulties in the long run. Nobody would deny that the studying period of one’s life is irreplaceable from the communicative point of view.

In particular

, where else can one make friends, have memorable adventures or even form a family, rather than at the

university

? Online courses are not capable to fill

this

gap.

For instance

, more than 80% of

students

of Yerevan State

University

, who were obliged to study online during the coronavirus pandemic, insist that during

this

period they were psychologically broken down, as long as had no opportunity to be in real touch with their friends. In conclusion, online studying has both advantages and disadvantages.

However

, if it is beneficial for international

students

, for local

students

it is likely to be more efficient to study offline.