This is an example of what a pros and cons essay should look like. It is provided by AffordablePapers.com and it will serve as a great reference for when you need to highlight the reason why online education is becoming increasingly popular and how it is affecting the results of students who take online classes.
The days when the only way to get an education is by going to a brick-and-mortar classroom are behind us. With the advent of technology, particularly the Internet, it seems that online education is becoming increasingly popular and rendering the traditional classroom obsolete in the eyes of many students and even some professors. If you look at the websites of many top universities, you will see that they are now offering students the opportunity to study their programs online. It seems that online education is growing in popularity. This essay looks at the pros and cons of this increasing trend of online education and how it affects the results of students who choose it over the traditional classroom.
Online education is convenient. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons that cause people to choose online education over going to a brick-and-mortar classroom. When it comes to online education, there is no geographical barrier, meaning students get to study anywhere as long as they have an Internet connection. Online education also allows students to study at their own pace, which is perfect for people who are already in the workforce and cannot attend college full time. Studying online also eliminates the time it takes to commute to campus. The classes are also very student-centered, and students have access to a wealth of online resources at their disposal.
Online education is less expensive. The cost of education is on the rise across the globe that many students have to hold part-time or full-time jobs just to pay for their tuition. When you add in the costs of accommodation and food, the price of attending college becomes even more expensive, and that is why people prefer taking online classes to eliminate or minimize these costs. For students who have to commute to class, online education means that they get to save on transportation costs, such as gas, bus fare or parking fees. And when you consider the fact that online education allows students to study at their own pace, it gives them the flexibility to hold down a part-time or even full-time job, which is better than having to juggle work with an inflexible classroom schedule that usually accompanies traditional classes.
Online education allows students to learn how to use technology. These days technology is everywhere, especially the technology that makes life easier and allows us to access and share information easily and faster. Since classes take place online, students have no choice but to update their knowledge about computers, the Internet, and software programs. Doing this has the positive effect of increasing their tech-savviness, something which can also serve them beyond the classroom setting.
Online education requires a lot of self-discipline. If a student wants to succeed in online education, they need to be self-disciplined and have excellent time management skills. This means they should have the determination and motivation to make time to study, complete assignments and take tests as well as take part in online discussions with other students. Traditional classrooms and school settings are designed to help students stay focused and learn better. Once you remove these things, there is plenty of room for students to get distracted or procrastinate.
Online education limits social interaction. Students also learn a lot from professors and others students when they have face-to-face interactions with them. Professors don’t just teach students, they also provide them with guidance, allowing them to grow intellectually and academically. A student who takes online classes is missing out on this meaningful professor-student interaction. Other students also learn better when they are surrounded by their peers with whom they can interact, and this makes an online setting unsuitable for them. Also, students who want to make friends during college (some of them who can become future business partners) are robbed of this opportunity as well. If social interaction is important for a student, they can always schedule a few classes to be taken on campus.
So how does online education impact the results of students? According to a study conducted by the University of the West Indies, Open Campus, Jamaica, online tertiary institutions have the highest dropout rates (attrition) compared to traditional classrooms. Data gathered through reliable methods, such as learning style assessments, focus groups, and online surveys revealed that pacing of the courses, availability of lectures to provide feedback, family responsibilities, and the quality of the course materials were the biggest causes of the high attrition. Furthermore, the data also revealed that some students felt that their lectures were not using the online tools effectively enough to impact their performance in a positive way.
All in all, it seems that online education does have its advantages that make it an attractive option for many students. But it also seems that even though the trend of education is moving towards online education, the high attrition indicates low academic performance for students who choose this mode of learning. It seems that colleges that offer online education have work to do if they want the increasing trend of online education to have a positive effect on the results of students.
