SHPORA.net :: PDA

[ Back ]

Due to recent technological advances a growing number of people give up the classroom environment and choose to study online. Moreover, some people claim that distant learning will completely substitute traditional ways of education in the not too remote future. But is online education really so effective?
At first glance, online learning provides an easier and more comfortable way of obtaining education because there is no need to attend classes and to spend a lot of time getting to and from school. In addition, students have greater flexibility in their schedule and can work at their own pace, taking time when they need it and speeding through courses that are easy. What is more, when students study online, they can specialize in courses they are most interested in. Students take responsibility for their education and become self-motivated and self-reliant.
However, online education lacks interactive classroom set-ting, which promotes the open exchange of ideas and makes it easier to master the subject. Besides, certain subjects like Maths or Physics may be hard to learn without a direct help of a teacher not to mention difficulties connected with the use of computer equipment. Moreover, most online programmes don't have the fun of traditional school and isolate students from each other, which has a bad influence on their character.
In conclusion, I can say that the real effectiveness of online ed¬ucation has not been evaluated yet. I believe that the best teaching method will be a combination of online and classroom learning.