A growing number of people are now considering distance education ,
which allows them to complete a degree at home . I would argue that
this new form of education can achieve similar learning outcomes as
attending courses in person , despite some differences.
Distance education has numerous means of helping students grasp
content of each lecture and widen knowledge. Students are instructed
to read relevant materials and do quizzes to ensure that they understand
all key conceptsand theories . They watch prerecorded lessons , which are
similar to those taught in a conventional educational setting. When they
have problems in digesting information , they can click the pause button
and replay the video until they fully understand the content . In this
regard , they can learn as much as they do in a traditional university course.
Numerous distance learning programmes have also adopted advanced online
communication tools , enabling students to communicate with professors as
effectively as they do in face-to-face meetings . Students can raise questions
in virtual classrooms or talk to speakers via video-chat programmes and
emails . They can receive lecturers guidance immediately about how to
understandthe content of each lesson . The rise of live streaming even
empowers famous scholars , wherever they live or work ,to give a talk in real
time , and people feel as if they go to lecture personally.
On the other hand , distance education may not offer students the opportunities
to acquire knowledge beyond textbooks . Completing a course at home means
that their communication with lecturers is limited to practice or exams and that
they have minimal interactions with fellow students . It is difficult for them to
draw inspiration from casual conversations with others in terms of learning
methods , work experience and the art of dealing with some real-life problems ,
such as handling office politics from people who have experience in management
positions . They can learn theories but hardly gain non-academic knowledge as
they do in a traditional educational context.
In conclusion , distance learning courses are similar to those in a bricks-and-mortar
lecture hall in terms of knowledge-acquisition , although attending university in
person may be a more rewarding experience.