COMM171: Examining the Challenges & Benefits of Online Education

This essay examines the shift towards online education and its impact on students, addressing both the advantages and disadvantages of this learning modality. It highlights the flexibility and accessibility of online resources, which allow students to learn at their own pace and access a wider range of materials than traditional classroom settings. The essay acknowledges the potential for misinformation and the importance of critical evaluation skills in navigating online content. It further explores how online learning can foster intercultural skills and provide access to course materials and schedules. Drawing upon sources like Ferguson (2006) and Saqr et al. (2018), the essay concludes that online education offers significant benefits due to its accessibility and wide range of available resources, while emphasizing the need for students to develop strong research and discernment skills to effectively utilize online learning platforms. Desklib provides access to this essay and many other resources for students.

Running head: ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
The methods that are followed for imparting education to the students have changed in
leaps and bounds over time. The modern-day teaching methods are no longer confined to the
classroom education wherein the only exposure to the students lay in the hands of the teacher and
the blackboard. The students of the present days tend to rely on the various online sources that
are easily available to them with one click at the mouse pointer. The online education for
students is beneficial due to the fact that this system of education helps in the resolution of the
issues in a faster pace due to the inclusion of a variety of resources that are majorly available
through the online resources as well as help in the maintenance of the flexibility of the study
rather than the regular classrooms.
The online education refers to the education that is received by a student or any
knowledge gatherer with the help of the tools that are operational with the help of internet. The
online education as is undertaken by the concerned students tend to deal with the issues that
involve the resolution of the issues that they face in a very speedy manner. The online education
involves the study which is generally present over the internet. The types of these sources tend to
range from the audio clips, the various videos that are utilized for the distribution of the proper
knowledge among those who seek the information. The online education is majorly related to the
development of the knowledge with the support of the various interaction media as well as the
presence of the internet service. The online educational systems tend to deal with the fact that the
classrooms are generally not an integral part of the students. The students who have been
observed to be connected with the teachers of the subject as well as the other experts on the
subject in order to deal with the development of the knowledge base of the concerned
organization.

2ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
The students who have been studying at the various educational institutions are observed
to have been dealing with the online system of education. The online learning has a great number
of resources and study materials that the concerned student might not have access to on the
complete reliance on his teachers. Ferguson aptly notes that, “Online courses […] save the
operating costs of a classroom, offers access to those in distant locations” (Norton & Green,
2006). The use of the online resources would help the student to derive an understanding of the
concept which they have been studying. Saqr et al. (2018) states “Online collaborative learning
has been associated with higher academic achievement, deeper levels of learning, retention of
learned information for longer times, better problem solving, and higher-order critical thinking
skills […] Common barriers to effective collaboration include social loafing, dysfunctional group
dynamics, lack of appreciation of values, absence of a stimulating task or script, lack of
preparation, and lack of social skills”. The students who have undertaken online educational
methods tend to rely majorly on the online media for their knowledge. This in turn might at times
lead to the spread of the wrong information on the given subject. The implementation of the
online education for the development of the knowledge base of the person should be completed
more carefully. The person who has been seeking the information should be advised to be able to
distinguish among the correct and the incorrect information. The publication of these
misinformation within the online modes of education would hinder the progress of the concerned
person in terms of the knowledge that the person has acquired from the concerned online media.
The involvement of the students in the online media of gathering knowledge thus involves a
huge amount of the researches needed for the development of the concerned individual.
The online educational facilities are known to be one of the most preferred modes of
study on a given subject. The concerned student who has been taking online courses do not need

3ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
to follow the regular classroom routine. This in turn helps in the saving of the time of the student.
The online learning systems are thus considered to have been allowing the student to learn at his
or her own pace and thus helps in the deeper and the better understanding of the fact that is
presented within the materials. Saqr et al. (2018) opines that “the use of information technology
in education has become increasingly commonplace, and has […] gained grounds in online
learning environments”. The online learning also helps the concerned student to maintain his
own life as well as continue with their own studies. The online learning within the various
universities tend to help the concerned person with the access the various course materials, the
lessons, the assignments as well as the schedule that is maintained by the concerned
organization. The online learning policies further help the students to develop the formulation of
the appropriate responses that are relevant to the questions that have been handed over to the
students for their assignment purposes. The other major factor that might be considered to be one
of the benefits of the online learning is the fact that the online learning methods help in the
development of the intercultural skills of the concerned person in discussion.
In lieu of the above discussion it might be stated that the online education for students is
actually beneficial due to the wide range of available material at any given point of time and is
easily accessible at the convenient location. The online educational systems tend to state the fact
that the classrooms are generally not an integral part of the students. The online education is
majorly related to the development of the knowledge with the support of the various interaction
media as well as the presence of the internet service. The involvement of the students in the
online media of gathering knowledge thus involves a huge amount of the researches needed for
the development of the concerned individual in order to avoid the spread and the reliance of
information that is presented within the internet. Thus, it might safely be stated that the online

4ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
education for students is beneficial because of the wide range of the material that is available to
them at any given point of time and is easily accessible at the convenient location.

5ONLINE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS - CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
References
Norton, S., & Green, B. (2006). Essay essentials with readings. Thomson Nelson.
Saqr, M., Fors, U., Tedre, M., & Nouri, J. (2018). How social network analysis can be used to
monitor online collaborative learning and guide an informed intervention. PloS
one, 13(3), e0194777.