Online education is a topic with a lot of baggage. Whether the conversation were to pivot to its benefits or its downsides, either side is weighted with a lot of opposing arguments. The arguments typically center around topics such as socialization with other students or upkeep with education on a personal level.
Online education could be great for those who aren’t achieving what they want through ordinary public education programs.
A great argument supporting an online education would be students not being able to get a lot out of their schooling due to social influences such as bullying or issues with their teachers. Many students suffer from a lack of student focused education. According to the University of Illinois Springfield, “The online format allows a dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process.”Students gain that focus upon themselves which benefits education plenty.
However for every up, there is a down. Many argue that the benefits come at a loss of social interaction that many would get from being homeschooled. There’s plenty of reasons behind that argument, all with good intentions, it could be hard to disagree with some of the loss provided by that. To argue that homeschooling denies a student general social interaction is to deny the fact that many of the students who decide to do online classes wouldn’t benefit from it; that could be why they’ve decided against an in person education.
There needs to be a change in the public view of online education. Many believe that it’s just generally worse than an in person education. While there are ups and downs, it goes both ways; there’s plenty to be gained from an online education, and in the end it’s more a matter of personal preference. While many may prefer an in person education, online education need not be discredited.
To conclude, in truth the argument is a matter of personal preference. Others might even argue an online education is just better than an in person education; however, that’s not true. In the end, the only difference is traditional education is what it is: traditional.
