Distance Education: A Close Look

With increasing globalization and technological advancement, the world has woken up to the benefits of online education. While distance education is rising in popularity, I hold that it should be viewed as an alternative method of acquiring knowledge. It cannot and should not replace traditional classroom education.
 While distant education can greatly help non-traditional students, I find the argument that it leads to intense discussions somewhat difficult to digest.  Although it is possible that there are engaging, intellectual interactions online, but like traditional classroom learning, this depends on the quality of teachers and students.
While many online teachers express satisfaction with their interactions with online students, others are frustrated by students with bad learning habits, who need to be kept reminded of their schedules. Thus one major problem with online education is the attitude of instructors, students, and administrators. As with classroom lectures, students and teachers interaction is vital in the learning process. The personal exchange of information and views are indications that both parties are interested in what's being  discussed. When students ask questions or seek clarifications on the lesson, it means they are serious about learning.
Face-to-face class discussion has the advantage of on-the-spot monitoring because the students and teachers are physically with each other at the same time and place. This means that checking the students' attitudes is immediate. This is hardly possible with distance learning where teachers have to do take time-out to e-mail just to remind students of their schedules. Thus one cannot argue that online discussions can surpass one done face-to-face. I
Another vital consideration in the issue of distance learning is the cost involved. If the cost of training teachers, the hardware and software involved, human resources such as technicians is considered, we find  that providing online education is not as cheap as it may seem.  Besides, online education requires a minimum of three persons in one setting compared with one instructor in a traditional setting.
Another thing is that online education cannot promise is quality. One reason is that there are still no clear standards set for the accreditation of this type of education. Another concern is that graduates of online courses do not have hands-on training due to the limitations of communication and training facilities.
One more point to consider is the students' social growth. Because distance education involves only a small group who do not have frequent interactions, the social development of the students is undermined. As social beings, it is important that students interact with others, have informal talks or converse on lighter topics. As one critic of online education put it-"these students miss the social contact and face-to-face interaction that an institutional setting provides"
In conclusion online education has its limitations as well as benefits. Technology must be regarded as a medium of learning and not as replacement for human factors. However there is no need to look askance on the development of online education. The government must treat online education as a tool for better education but not as replacement for school campuses.