Sample 2 - Advantages & disadvantages online classes PDF

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DISCURSIVE ESSAYTHE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE CLASSESThe COVID–19 pandemic has brough upon many unprecedented and inopportune situations and circumstances. Life as we know it has drastically changed. This pandemic has shaken and caused severe disruption to virtually all parts of the soc...

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DISCURSIVE ESSAY THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE CLASSES

The COVID–19 pandemic has brough upon many unprecedented and inopportune situations and circumstances. Life as we know it has drastically changed. This pandemic has shaken and caused severe disruption to virtually all parts of the society worldwide. All sectors of the economy have had to learn to adopt to this unforeseen and unimaginable calamity. From new legislation, to new protocols, to new operating procedures. The education sector is no exception; it has had to espouse to the ‘new normal’ in order to continue to operate. Hence, online classes or also known as distanced learning has had to replace the traditional face to face classes. Like most things, online classes have advantages and disadvantages. Online classes are said to provide more flexibility to students and help students to be more self-disciplined and motivated, however online classes would cause social isolation and it would be difficult to prevent academic malpractice. The nature of online classes enables students to structure their own timings and routine and have more control over their free time. This is extremely advantageous to students as with this new founded flexibility they are able to spend more time on self-development such as indulging in their hobbies or exploring new hobbies, they can have more time to get involved in extra-curricular activities and learn new skills. This would enable students to develop into a more well-rounded individual. Furthermore, with the flexibility of online classes students can change their ‘working’ hours to timings that better suit them. According to Nemours Health, it is a wellknown fact that due to hormonal shifts in teenagers, their nocturnal timings change, hence the majority of them would prefer to stay up at night to study as they feel most focused then. Online classes enable the students to fit their work around their own schedules not the traditional eight to four timings that caused a lot of students to suffer from sleep deprivation in order to fit in such a schedule which is too rigid and does not suit their ever-changing sleeping patterns. Hence, the flexibility online classes provide is extremely advantageous to the students' development and well-being. Consequently, online classes would train students to be more self-disciplined and motivated. The nature of online classes would require students to be more disciplined and

diligent as they would have to show up for their online classes on their own accord. In addition, it takes more will power to focus throughout the class as there are a lot more distractions at home compared to a traditional classroom or lecture hall environment. In line with an online student help form called, e-student.org most students confess the traditional classroom setting enables them to keep on track with their studies due to the face-to-face interaction with lecturers, positive peer pressure and the strict schedule. However, with dedication, encouragement from friends and family and online communication and consultation with lecturers', students can learn to become a more self- motivated and a more driven student which would greatly benefit them in the long run. Consequently, online classes would force and nurture students to become a more persevering, motivated student. In line with the famous adage, there is always two sides of a coin; therefore, with regards to online classes there are consequent disadvantages as well. One of the most common disadvantages of online classes is the fact that online classes cause social isolation. Most students and lecturers alike would inevitably spend much of their time online, due to this they can start experiencing signs of social isolation, due the lack of human connection and face to face interaction. In line with a research paper published by Texas A&M University, most students experience several mental health issues such as heightened stress, anxiety and negative thoughts as a result to the strain and seclusion that comes with online classes. This would inevitably cause poor academic performance and in certain cases cause students to take a break from their studies. Thus, there is a direct correlation between online classes and social isolation experienced by students. Subsequently, due to online classes academic malpractice would be difficult to prevent and detect. For example, cheating during assessments, unacceptable collaboration and plagiarism are some of the academic malpractices that might occur. Compared to the traditional assessment environment where the students can be monitored by invigilators, online students are left to do their assessments in their own environment and by using their personal devices. Therefore, the possibility for online students to cheat on assessments are higher as they can refer to unauthorized materials or collude with their classmates. Additionally, without a suitable and felicitous identity verification system in place, students taking online assessments might be able to request a third party to take the assessment for them. According to a survey conducted by the

University of Michigan, 78% of their undergraduate students would be more likely to get involved with activities that would result them to be committing academic misconduct if their assessments were online. In short, if the assessments of the online classes were to be conducted online there would be many blind spots and loopholes that would allow students to consciously conduct academic malpractice. In a nutshell, online classes have an equal proportion of advantages and disadvantages. Online classes provide more flexibility to students and would succor students to became more self-disciplined and driven, however online classes would cause social isolation and it would be difficult to impede and detect academic misconduct. Nothing is perfect in this world; everything has pros and cons is a famous quote by Nivendita Sharma; a famous choreographer. Likewise, online classes have its fair share benefits and disbenefits. Hence, academic institutions and students must work hand in hand in order to find the middle ground on which the students can open their minds to the world of academia in a conducive and stimulating environment....