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 ?

As we are all affected by the worldly pandemic strike, schools, especially universities are now providing certificates for students via online courses. While this method of learning does bring many conveniences for the individual student, I still value the traditional way of teaching and learning. In this essay, I will discuss the pros and cons of learning via a screen, and then prove my opinion by giving proper examples. On one hand, studying online indeed solves the current problem, that we cannot meet with the teachers face-to-face due to the virus, and brings many practical benefits for both the students and the educators. One obvious example can be viewed by international students. Because of the pandemic, they were originally informed that they were probably not able to continue their academic career in a foreign country. However, thanks to the advanced internet technology, they can now still earn their bachelor or master degree via online professional courses without any interruption. Besides, the educational institutions also enjoy the benefits because they don't need to refund the tuition those international students have already paid for, and in the meantime, they can continue completing their teaching goal as a result. However, on the other hand, attending courses online cannot be a permanent way in terms of education. Firstly, the flexibility of the schedule will probably knock down ninety per cent of undergraduates who are having trouble of self-disciplinary, because such schedule requires learners to possess a rather good stability on their own study plan as well as a strong sense of persistence, whereas most university students do not actually have. Secondly, even though they were born with good qualities of learning and were good at sticking into the scheme, attending lectures via the screen may also reduce the learning efficiency. I mean, online tutors cannot always cater to the needs of the individual students simply because they cannot respond to the learners’ questions as quickly as possible. Therefore, when it comes to acquiring knowledge, especially that professional one, studying online should never be a wise option. In conclusion, though learning online can solve a temporary problem, it should never be considered as the main form of educating. Let alone of granting the diplomat for them.