There were times when students had to travel to far ends of the world to seek knowledge. They had to travel for months or even years to reach that desired country or city. Time passed and distances became shorter with the invention of modern ways of traveling such as planes and railways. But the tradition of traveling to the cities or countries for better studies remained intact. Than a technological revolution came with the invention of ‘Computers’. In its early stages the computer had limited use but with the passage of time its usage became more consistent and later it became a very useful machine for every field of life. But still, the computer was not complete, till the time that ‘the internet’ made it a perfect machine.

Over the years people have argued about the use of internet. Many have claimed that it is a waste of time and a source of spoiling our new generation. This a conservative thought. The other faction, a more moderate one has claimed that it is a portal of knowledge. But our topic is not directly related to this argument although it has an indirect relation. With the passage of time, education over the internet has also gained much fame. There are two views on online education; one view is old school, which believes that education must be taken where it is suppose to be taken, that is at traditional colleges and universities, while the other view is new school and according to this view, students have the choice of doing whatever they desire and if they do not have the time or financial perks available to them, then they can easily acquire education through eLearning from any of the accredited online colleges and universities.

Our views can not be endorsed on anyone as both of them have some weak and some strong points. The old school theory claims that it is impossible for any teacher to transfer education and the whole of his or her years of experience on the internet. They further believe that at times it is not possible for teachers to provide individualized feedback considering that active learning is not possible through eLearning. This view claims that the equipment required to correspond with each other is not available to all the students or teachers which makes the acquisition of online education on all degree levels a bit more difficult. One strong argument put forward is that of the academic honesty of the online students. They have the tendency to go easy because they know that no one is going to question them. It is a part of human nature that unless we meet someone face to face, that person remains a stranger to us and same is the case with those who opt for online degree programs. There is no face to face interaction between the tutor and the student. An online student does not know the aspects of a true campus or a traditional classroom, which makes it difficult for them to learn the values of life and friendship. The old school theory claims that the internet offers other things, which are totally not suitable for the students and can spoil them and deter their concentration while studying.

The new school theory, which supports online education, claims that many of the pupils are not wealthy enough to go to conventional colleges or universities, for which they require an alternate style of study. They clam that studying through distance education courses saves time and cost. Another aspect is that numerous students live hand to mouth and if they go to an institute to study how would they work? This problem can easily be solved by studying online and working at the same time. Supporters of online education claim that if they study online, the students can learn whenever and whatever they need and they are not dependent on anyone. Many students cannot keep up the pace of combined study, but if they have the option of studying online they can study at their own pace and thus learning and the acquisition of an online degree can be adjusted in their busy schedules.

Both the sides have their views clear, and it is really hard to pick up a winner, but we do not have to pick up a winner, because the world is full of people with different kinds of needs and we do not have the right to force our views on them. The best way to co-exist is to respect other people’s views. So those who wish to study through a traditional institution can do so, while those who face some issues can always turn to accredited online colleges and universities to acquire their degrees through eLearning.

By: Tammy Greene

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