TASK 2: You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online. Is this a positive or negative development?
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It is true that online courses are becoming a common feature of university education ( đang trở thành một đặc điểm phổ biến của giáo dục đại học) . 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 ( hạn chế chủ yếu của xu hướng hướng tới) online university courses is that there is less direct interaction. Students may not have the opportunity to engage face-to-face with their teachers ( cơ hội để tham gia trực tiếp với giáo viên), 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 ( không được tương tác trực tiếp với nhau), and this could have a negative impact on ( có một tác động tiêu cực đến) peer support, discussion and exchange of ideas ( trao đổi ý tưởng). For example, whereas students on traditional courses can attend seminars and even discuss their subjects over coffee after lessons ( thảo luận khi cà phê cùng nhau sau các buổi học), online learners are restricted to chatting through website forum areas. These learners may also lack the motivation and element of competition that face-to-face group work brings (động lực và yếu tố cạnh tranh mà công việc làm nhóm trực tiếp mang lại)
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 ( cho phép người học học tập một cách linh hoạt), meaning that they can work whenever and wherever is convenient, and they can cover the material at their own pace ( đọc tài liệu theo tốc độ riêng của họ). Secondly, the cost of a university education can be greatly reduced, while revenues for institutions ( doanh thu của trường) may increase as more students can be taught. Finally, online learning offers open access to anybody who is willing to study ( mang đến một tiếp cận mở cho bất kỳ ai sẵn sàng học), 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 ( điều mà là thứ không thể trong những ngày trước khi có giáo dục trên nền tảng trực tuyến).
In conclusion, while I recognise the possible disadvantages of online learning, I consider it to be a positive development overall.
( IELTS - SIMON)