Introduction
One of the most hotly debated scholarly topics these days is the emergence of Distance Learning as the educational tool of choice for tertiary-bound students of the 21st century. The argument stems from the quality of the education that can be received via the internet and what the drawbacks are once there is no physical contact between students and the professors. In his Essay ” Can You Be Educated From A Distance”, writer James Barszcz argues that real education is summed up as:
…a true education reduces or draws out from within a person qualities of intellect and character that would have otherwise remained hidden or dormant” (Barszcz, 524).
Main body
To learn, one must observe his peers and professors, as well as understand that which makes man unique by learning socialization techniques. Other arguments include suppositions that students will not work as hard to learn once left to their own devices. That professors become lax in their work responsibilities and allow students to slide by.
Having taken an online learning course in Basic HTML, I must say that all of the concerns of Barszcz and his companions remain truly unrealistic. You see, although a distance learning student is left to his own devices with which to learn the lesson, it becomes twice as hard to learn if one does not fully apply himself to the lesson. Distance Learning is based upon the trust system between the professor and the student. The course syllabus is given out together with assignments and reading materials that the students are expected to learn. Everything is set up to aid the student in learning the lesson accurately. I found this method to be a learning experience because the setup allowed me to ask my questions of the professor and my classmates as well. Discussions were more enlightening as no questions ever seemed too silly to ask. everyone helped resolve any project problems that we came across.
Distance Learning education is more conducive to learning in my opinion because it allowed for more open class discussions and allowed a student to exhaust all possible sides of the class discussion before moving on because of the online chat room and forums. It was always possible for me to go back to a topic I needed to understand better and discuss with the others even though the lessons had already moved on. In an actual classroom scenario, I would have been too shy to go back to the old topic and face ridicule from my classmates and professor.
Now, as far as the learning from socialization aspect, the truth is that distance learning allows for the same thing although in a different way. You see, in our particular class, we were strewn all over the country and some were foreign students who signed up for the class via the internet. So, when we did get together in the flesh, it is was a new learning experience because we visited each other’s homes, states, or countries. Thereby extending our knowledge of the world and those around us in a way that no amount of on-campus fraternization can provide.
Conclusion
In the end, the result of Distance Learning Education relies upon the student and no one else. If a student is going to slack off, he will slack off even in real life. However, there is something different about distance learning via the internet. The implied trust in each other seems to bring out a new sense of responsibility in the student that cannot be found in real-time education. So in my opinion, I vote yes for Distance Learning via the internet.