Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online.

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Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online.
Is this a positive or negative development?

In recent times with the advent of the Internet online teaching and learning process has increased drastically. This has provided a way for everyone to learn from the comforts of their homes. Not only students but also working professionals and the unemployed population can avail of the advantages of such courses. I personally believe that the online mode of teaching brings along with it both advantages and disadvantages. In this composition, I am going to talk about how the advantages outnumber the disadvantages of studying online.

A vast population of the world, living in rural areas, cannot afford a quality education only due to the exorbitant cost of living in a metropolitan city. With several reputed universities offering numerous courses online as distant learning, these people can now enroll themselves in such courses and attain proper certifications and graduations. These courses are offered at a discounted rate with either pre-recorded or live classes. These classes are not only for aspiring students but also for working professionals who want to study and increase their knowledge in order to further their careers.

With the advancements in Internet technology, we have seen a vast number of online learning websites coming to the front which offer courses in any field of choice. For example, websites like Coursera and Udemy offer courses at minimal prices in fields like engineering, computer science, music, sketching, painting, and many more. Some of these courses are hosted by university professors while others are hosted by working professionals in that field. No matter who the instructor is, these courses offer a great deal of knowledge and hands-on experience on some mini-projects that will help anyone attending them with furthering their knowledge to advance their professional or personal life.

However, there are disadvantages of online studying too. Some people argue whether learning online is actually as effective as traditional teaching methods. It is also said that learning through online modules does not give a thorough knowledge of the subject and does not solve the doubts being raised in the minds of the learners either. This does hold true since in the online method even though the professors provide different forums using which one can get their doubts cleared, it becomes tedious to explain the issues without being able to show someone the actual problem. Furthermore, online learning causes a number of health hazards due to the continuous rays emitted from technological devices, leading to various health issues such as weakened eyesight.

Although online teaching and learning have their own negative aspects, I personally believe that the gains far outweigh the losses. I believe that both online and traditional learning go hand in hand and are 2 sides of the same coin.