It is true that online courses are becoming a common feature of university education. Although there are some drawbacks of Internet-based learning, I would argue that there are far more benefits.
The main drawback of the trend towards online university courses is that there is less direct interaction. Students may not have the opportunity to engage face-to-face with their teachers, and will instead have to rely on written forms of communication. Similarly, students who study online do not come into direct contact with each other, and this could have a negative impact on peer support, discussion and exchange of ideas. For example, whereas students on traditional courses can attend seminars and even discuss their subjects over coffee after lessons, online learners are restricted to chatting through website forum areas. These leaners may also lack the motivation and element of competition that face-to-face group work brings.
Despite the negatives mentioned above, I believe that online university courses are a positive development for various reasons. Firstly, they allow learners to study in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever and wherever is convenient, and they can cover the material at their own pace. Secondly, the cost of a university education can be greatly reduced, while revenues for institutions may increase as more students can be taught. Finally, online learning offers open access to anybody who is willing to study, regardless of age, location, ability and background. For example, my uncle, who is 65 years old, has recently enrolled on an online MBA course in a different country, which would have been impossible in the days before Internet-based education.
In conclusion, while I recognise the possible disadvantages of online learning, I consider it to be a positive development overall.
的確，網絡課程正在成為大學教育的一個共同特點。雖然基于網絡的學習有一些缺點，但我認為有更多的好處。
網絡大學課程的主要缺點是直接互動較少。學生可能沒有機會與老師面對面交流，而不得不依賴書面的交流方式。同樣，在網上學習的學生不會直接接觸到對方，這可能會對同伴的支持、討論和思想交流產生負面影響。例如，雖然傳統課程的學生可以參加研討會，甚至在課后學習咖啡，但在線學習者只能通過網站論壇聊天。這些學習者也可能缺乏面對面組工作帶來競爭的動機和元素。
盡管上面提到的消極，我相信網上大學課程是一個積極的發展，由于各種原因。首先，他們允許學習者以靈活的方式學習，這意味著他們可以隨時隨地地工作，他們可以按自己的速度覆蓋材料。第二，大學教育的成本可以大大降低，而學校的收入可能會隨著學生的增加而增加。最后，在線學習為任何愿意學習的人提供了開放的機會，無論年齡、地點、能力和背景如何。例如，我65歲的叔叔最近在一個不同的國家注冊了在線MBA課程，這在網絡教育之前是不可能的。
總之，雖然我認識到在線學習可能存在的缺點，但我認為這是一個積極的發展。
