Introduction
Online education has recently taken its place in modern society and no one could deny that it is a rather important part of any educational system of today. Nevertheless, the use of online study still arises a lot of controversial points of view because some people support the method of online education and give their arguments, while other people oppose this method and give their own arguments that are not less trustworthy.
Our aim here is to consider both points of view in order to find out the answer to the following questions: “Can the online education provide the same level of knowledge that usual college education provides?” and “What are the main points that evidence for and against online education?” In order to answer these questions, we going to consider the arguments of both sides of the issue and make the essay more specific with the help of certain examples to support both points of view.
Main body
The supporters of online education, which is also widely known as distance learning, support their point of view by saying that online education allows a larger number of people to get a higher education degree. Besides, they say that a person does not always need a teacher to learn something, i. e. one can not be taught, he or she can only teach themselves. Concerning the first argument of the supporters of online education, it is quite trustful.
For example, this method of studying allows people who are employed or have families to study in higher educational establishments. They do not need to be physically present at all classes and study full-time. With the help of online education, they can plan their study themselves, taking into consideration their working schedule, family needs, and amount of spare time.
As for the second argument of this side, it is also good because people study themselves depending only upon their wish, and no teacher can make them study (Deane, 2005, pp. 34 – 54).
On the contrary, the opponents of distance learning, state that every student needs a teacher who would guide his or her studying process. They say that a person can learn the material her/himself but there is no guarantee that he or she learn it correctly. That is why a teacher is necessary to check the knowledge of a student and guide them in the right direction.
Another argument that the opponents of online education put forward is that it is accessible not to all people. They exemplify their point of view saying that poor people do not always have access to the Internet and that makes it difficult for them to take up distance education. What is more important is that people with physical or mental disabilities also not always can take up the online course because of the complexity of its application.
For example, a person with certain local losses of memory can not use very sophisticated systems of application the online study programs and due to this, the distance learning becomes inaccessible for him or her (Deane, 2005, pp. 56 — 75).
Conclusion
To express my personal opinion concerning the issue of online education, I should say that I support this method of education. I believe that it presents a wide range of options for people who do not have time for usual study due to work they have or families that they must feed. Besides, online education allows people from abroad to study in any educational establishment they wish without expenses on moving to that country and living costs there.
As for the drawbacks of online education for people with disabilities, I agree that such a problem exists and I am convinced that it can be solved. One of the ways to solve it is for the educational establishments to simplify the application of distance learning programs.
Works Cited
Deane, S. (2005). Online Education: Is It for You? Author House: New York.