Rate my AWA: Despite the convenience of distance learning...
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30 Jan 2011, 05:40
Please rate my my essay response and give suggestions, on how to improve on AWA
ESSAY QUESTION:
“Despite the convenience of distance learning and online educational programs, they will never replace in-class instruction.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the position stated above. Support your viewpoint using reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
YOUR RESPONSE:
The issue stated in the above statement is related to the education delivery mode. In the above statement the Education Delivery Mode compared are Distance Learning and online educational programs with In-Class Instruction, with the In-Class Instruction mode being the favorable one. I tend to disagree with the statement and support distance learning and online educational programs formats.
First let us analyze, who would gain with the distance learning and online educational format the most, the students just out of school, working professionals and for those who dabble multiple tasks during the day.
The students who are comfortable with internet access.
The distance learning and online educational programs formats provide the convenience of delivering the education at your door-step and the student has the option to go through his studies at any favorable time of the day. But, whereas in a in-class instruction format the student has to take out time from his schedule and have to attend the classes and the human delays in such format should also be acknowledged because of dependencies on multiple factors.
One of the major advantage of In-Class Instruction is on the spot clarification of doubts, which cannot be made accessible for Distance Learning and online educational programs. The solution for the above problem can be providing answers for set of commonly asked questions over the period of teaching and we can have an in-exhaustive list of doubts, which in turn would help a student. On top of that a student who feels uncomfortable in asking a doubt can also raise a doubt to his/her instructor.
A disadvantage of the In-Class Instruction is the limited access to the education, which may not be available for all, but in the Distance Learning and online educational programs a good portion (sometimes all) of the course is shared to a larger audience.
Another advantage of Distance Learning and online educational programs is the Re-usability of the learning material, which can be reviewed again after certain period of time or can be practiced again and again, which is not possible in In-class instruction.
Thus, with the following advantages discussed such as Flexibility in Use, In-Exhaustive doubt list, availability and Re-Usability of the learning material and of-course the choice to handle more than one task at a time and providing the time to a task only when necessary, gives Distance Learning and online educational programs an advantage over the traditional In-Class Instruction