Universities and colleges are now offering qualifications through distance learning from the Internet rather than teachers in the classroom. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Obtaining

qualifications

through online

education

without actually sitting in a traditional classroom has surged in popularity with the development of communication technologies and has probably become the new normal during the COVID pandemic when most people have to stay at home for an extended period of time. Personally, I believe

this

is a positive development that brings more benefits than drawbacks. To start with the positives, distance

education

contributes to educational equality by increasing the availability of quality

education

to a wider range of individuals. Online

courses

have an unprecedented big capacity of enrolment and are generally more affordable than conventional on-campus

courses

that contribute to higher overheads, so more

students

, especially those living in poverty, could afford to pursue university or college

qualifications

.

This

is the same with

students

with mobility difficulties, who now have more freedom to choose and learn subjects and skills they prefer rather than being deprived of opportunities due to their inability to attend

courses

on campus. Flexibility is another prominent advantage of gaining

qualifications

through distance

education

. Unlike traditional

education

,

students

who attend online

courses

are generally offered recorded lessons and other learning resources for them to learn or revise at their own pace without the restrictions of time and space.

Nevertheless

, there are concerns over

this

shift towards online

education

. The most obvious one is the lack of authentic social interactions that feature conventional face-to-face

education

, meaning that

students

cannot gain instant feedback and improve effectiveness through communication with peers and teachers like they would normally do in a traditional classroom.

This

lack of peer communication might

also

lead to declined motivation of learners who would traditionally encourage or compete with each other to excel. These disadvantages,

however

, can be compensated for by providing online forums for discussing and asking questions and setting up assignments and checkpoints to hold learners accountable. In conclusion, despite the less interactive and motivating learning environment, I would argue that providing

qualifications

through distance

education

is a beneficial trend considering how it promotes

education

justification with its availability and flexibility, which are quite restricted in traditional classrooms.