Maxwell wrote on Tampa Bay Times that in terms of college courses, he strongly prefers face-to-face lectures and discussions over online courses, and therefore, he turned down the invitation of teaching an online course for the University of Chicago(Maxwell: Education without soul). Maxwell admitted that massive open online courses are attracting attention and expanding their territory rapidly(Maxwell: Education without soul). However, he rejected this new way of higher education for three reasons. First, online course credits are not transferrable to colleges or universities(Maxwell: Education without soul). Second, only traditional classes allow teachers to provide quality education, because they can interact with their students(Maxwell: Education without soul). Third, young adults gain a valuable experience from campus life, which cannot be provided by online training(Maxwell: Education without soul).
In my opinion, however, I support online courses and programs for three reasons. First, online education provides opportunities of learning college-level courses to those who cannot physically attend a college or university. It has always been difficult for people with disabilities to go to a college or university on their own. In addition, pursuing a part-time degree (such as MBA) is always tough for someone doing a full-time job(10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes). Chamberlin stated: “Online education allows these people to take college courses and even obtain high education degrees, while they can stay at home” (Chamberlin). Second, the development of novel technology is narrowing the gap between traditional and online classes. For example, nowadays teachers can discuss with students through various video chatting software, such as Skype. Online Q/A sessions are quite common, too. Third, online courses, especially those offered by colleges or universities with a high reputation, do not always come with low quality.
In sum, in my opinion, online class is an excellent alternative to traditional class, because it can deliver good quality education and give people flexibility to allocate their time.
Works Cited
Maxwell, Bill. Maxwell: Education without soul.Tampa Bay Times,2013. Web. May 6. 2013.
Chamberlin, Sean. Ten Advantages of Online Courses.Montgomery College.Web. May 6. 2013.
10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes.Open Education Database, 2012. Web. May 6. 2013.
