2 . Education officials and industry experts are debating the future of online learning. The discussion is important because hundreds of universities in the United States have recently moved classes online because of the spread of COVID-19.

For Asha Choksi, the rise of Internet-based or online study programs has led to major improvements in higher education. “It’s actually given a lot more power to students in terms of how, when and where they learn,” the head of research for Pearson Education said.

Classes meet online through video conferencing. In this way, students are able to communicate with each other and their professors even when they are far away from school. However, recent research suggests the majority of college students and professors prefer in-person instruction, because they are concerned that companies supervising online learning programs are not clear about the policies they have with the schools they serve.

“Students see in-class lectures as opportunities to engage with instructors, peers, and content.” the researchers wrote. In-person learning is especially important in fields like healthcare and teaching. Online education can never really take its place, said Stephanie Hall, a fellow with the independent policy research group The Century Foundation. “Students need to experience...what they’re learning about, reading about or hearing about in the classroom. And I don’t know yet the degree to which technology can facilitate that.”

“When schools make agreements with online program managers to run their online programs, they often do not make important information available to students,” Hall said. This includes how much control the company has over the design of the program or whether the faculty leading the classes was involved in their design. In addition, many colleges and universities advertise online programs as a low cost opportunity for students. But in some cases, students attending in-person classes get financial aid and online students do not.

Exercise plays a very important role in a healthy lifestyle. But you may not have time or money to go to a gym on a regular basis. The good news is that today’s technology lets you access fitness classes from the comfort of your home.

A quick Internet search will turn up thousands of online fitness classes. These classes let you listen to instructions and watch trainers demonstrate how to do exercises. You can watch videos on your phone, computer or tablet and do the exercises right where you are. All you need is an Internet connection and a space large enough to move around in.

Online fitness classes take a wide variety of forms. Some focus on stretches and slow movements. Other classes involve fast aerobic activity, while others build muscle strength. Some require equipment such as weights, but others use only your body. This means that you can choose the class you like. And you can try a different one whenever you like.

Some virtual fitness classes require a membership fee, but some are completely free. Anyone can post a fitness video on the Internet. Not everyone knows what they are doing. So it is important to think about who is teaching the class. Try to find trainers who are certified by an organization with a good reputation.

I tried some virtual fitness classes several years ago. The reason was simple: convenience. I could do a fitness class at any time of day. I didn’t need to travel to a gym and back, which saved me a lot of time. But being able to work out any time meant I kept putting it off. I’d do everything else first and then the day would be over. I’d never actually get around to exercising. Having to exercise at a definite time means I have to put it on my schedule. So for me, scheduled classes such as those at a gym are helpful.

4 . You won't have any excuse to skip class anymore. French startup Open Classrooms is offering the first state-recognized bachelor degree in France that uses only MOOCs(massive open online courses). The startup partnered with IESA Multimedia to create this program.

There are three learning paths in engineering, design and marketing. Students will have to complete all the courses and required projects in order to get their degree.    1    IESA is already working on 40 different MOOCS for this program.

On average, it will take a year of hard work in order to complete all the classes. As always, it's hard to keep going when you sign up for a MOOC.    2    

This kind of degree has many key advantages. For IESA, it gives the school more students. IESA is a private school, and its end goal is to make as much money as possible. So with these new Mooc students, IESA will be able to get more money per teacher on average.

    3    The startup already offers a course for e20 per month, but you need to pay E300 per month for the Premium Plus offering to use the state-recognized program. it's unclear how much Open Classrooms will keep, but it should be more than €20 per month.

For students, it's a cheaper way to get a degree. Maybe you can't afford to study for three years at IESA and pay €6,950 per year.    4    Sure, it's probably a less enjoyable experience than going to your school and spending time with other students and teachers, but it makes sense for some students.

It's an interesting new direction for Open Classrooms, and I can't wait to see whether other schools will start working with the startup to provide online courses. It will be interesting to see whether the first students are satisfied with this kind of degree as well.

5 . Online education has grown fast over the past ten years. The explosion of technology has made teaching outside the traditional classroom possible for teachers and has provided learners with easy access to course materials. Its attractiveness, benefits, and challenges are addressed.

In April, 2005, I was approached by a student who was interested in our doctoral program. However, the first question out of her mouth was, “Do you offer any online courses?” Later that day, as I was reading the conference program guide trying for interesting presentations, I noticed many workshops on web-based learning and online education. I later attended two of those workshops and met several professors from different universities who had either taught online courses for quite some time or who were discovering the best practice for teaching online. These experiences helped me realize at least to some extent the degree of growth in online education.

My responsibilities for the term included gaining more understanding of online education. Consequently, I made several attempts to enrich my knowledge of distance learning and online teaching. I consulted with my colleagues who were teaching online courses. This helped me recognize the importance of getting materials prepared even before the start of a term. I also learned that online courses may consume more time than regular classroom teaching. And I attended several workshops regarding online education and established a network with those who were involved in online programs at other universities. I will consider these people as my consultants as I begin to design my own online course. Also, I conducted a brief survey with 15 students and two faculty members who had taken or taught an online course before to understand their experience. Eventually I completed a literature review which gave me the foundation and the background of understanding the need for online education.

How are things going with you?

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . Online education is one of the many advances that technology has brought to us.    1     It’s really a great challenge to traditional education. However, people’s attitudes towards online education are different based on the advantages and disadvantages of it.

    2    Traditional universities have opened up many online courses for students who do not have the time to attend classes or the budget to accept actual university education. From music to cooking, we can get a number of online courses to learn.

The main advantage of online learning is that it offers an alternative to traditional classes.    3    And it, in some ways, increases the study efficiency. For example, it saves time between our school and home so that we can have more time to learn.

The disadvantage of online learning is that it ignores the communication between students and the teacher and their classmates. Besides, its role in some areas is also limited.    4    

Only by making full use of its strengths and avoiding its weaknesses can we achieve the biggest benefit.    5    For example, you can learn theories online while learning hands-on skills in traditional classes.

8 . As the COVID-19 forces students to stay home, online learning has seen a sharp rise among students. Since late January, China has delayed starting the new school semester and encouraged students to study at home over safety concerns.

Besides what has been arranged by your schools as your study routine, what can you gain from online learning?    1    

To successfully learn online, you need to dedicate a significant amount of your time, consistently attend the program, concentrate while studying and fully stick to your learning process, just as you would do for a regular course.

To stay on track with your online course, always keep in mind what you hope to complete by the end of it.    2     Estimate how much time each task will take to complete. Keep detailed notes and review them often.

A study plan is important to online learning.    3    Online learning needs to be well organized. Create a study calendar that will help you remember all the important dates like online exams or deadlines for your assignments.

When you feel yourself losing concentration, consider taking a short break or sopping for the night.    4    

Taking online courses can be very convenient for many people.    5    It requires time management skills, self-discipline, willpower and motivation.