Education officials and industry experts are debating the future of online learning. The discussion is important because recently hundreds of universities in the United States have moved classes online because of the     1     of the new coronavirus.

For Asha Choksi, the rise of internet-based or online study programs has led to major improvements in higher education.

“What it’s done is, 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 told VOA. Her company is     2     online learning programs.

Colleges and universities worldwide have been looking for ways to provide satisfactory education off campus and outside of     3     business hours. The decision by many schools in the U. S. to suspend in-person classes during the recent coronavirus crisis has shown how important online teaching can be. And demand for such programs is increasing.

The financial advising company Tyton Partners     4     the online program management industry at over $1.5 billion in 2015.

Choksi, however, argues that her company is     5     a path to higher education for people who might not have been able to get a degree otherwise.

Pearson Education is one of a growing number of companies that     6     with schools to create online study aids and full degree programs. Classes meet online through video     7    . In this way, students are able to     8     with each other and their professors even when they are far away from school.

Online learning also permits older students, who work, full-time and support families, to work on their education in their free time. It can be helpful for people who might have difficulty coming to a college campus, such as disabled students or those who live far from any college or university.

However, recent research suggests the majority of college students and professors prefer in-person instruction. In addition, some experts are     9     that companies in charge of online learning programs are not clear about the policies they have with the schools they serve.

Last year, the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research published two opinion studies on online higher education programs. Researchers asked over 40,000 American undergraduate students and 9,500 professors what they thought about these programs. In both groups, as least 70 percent of people said they prefer in-person     10    .

3 . Many summer camps have had to cancel their programming due to COVID-19. So we have found a great selection of virtual summer camps for your children.

Happy Camper Live

Ages: 5~ 18

Cost: $499 a month .

What is special about Happy Camper Live is that there are hundreds of camp adventures and experiences to choose from to offer your children unique camp experience. Children can make fun with a world-class athlete, play volleyball with a national high school champion and learn a new art, craft or musical instrument.

Smart Robots Virtual Camp

Ages: 7 ~11

Cost: $179 for two weeks

Campers will receive a smart coding robot of choice and learning materials and apps to get them started in this camp. This camp is made as much of a social experience as possible. At the end of camp, each child will be certificated as a “junior coder”，have made penfriends for life and have new skills and knowledge to bring into their classrooms in the fall.

Written Out Loud

Ages: 8~17

Cost: $250 per week

The storytelling school Written Out Loud has transformed its program to a virtual storytelling workshop. Founded in 2018 by a Hollywood film-maker, Witten Out Loud offers classes for children aged 8 to 17 that combine a range of disciplines such as creative writing, film-making and even improving comedy.

Got Game Summer Academy

Ages: 4~12

Cost: $195 for two weeks

With a focus on reading, writing and math, Got Game will help your children stay academically on track while still having fun in an energized virtual learning environment. Children will receive personalized attention from teachers while also participating in games that center around communication on group projects and building individual skills.

4 . School is tough enough as it is, but distance learning presents a whole new challenge. Many students struggle to focus on their homework when they study at home, as online courses call for self-discipline (自律).     1    

Motivate (激励) yourself. Think about how traditional classroom settings motivate students to get their work done: deadlines written on a whiteboard, friendly reminders and suggestions from teachers, and group study sessions with classmates.     2     Write down your deadlines and get in touch with your classmates to study together and quiz each other online.

    3     You’re not the only one to struggle with online learning, so don’t be afraid to get in touch with your teacher and classmates with any questions you might have. Similarly, remember your teacher and classmates might reach out to you with questions as well. Respond to their messages in a timely manner to keep open lines of communication.

Find a good study spot. Houses are full of distractions (分散注意力的事物)—especially if you’re in no mood to study. Set yourself up for success by reducing these distractions and creating an environment where it is easy to do schoolwork.     4     Leave your phone in another room in order to avoid temptation (诱惑) from social media or online games.

Use what you have. One of the many benefits of online learning is having endless Internet resources.     5     Be familiar with study resources and open education sites, and then use them to add to your studies and quiz yourself before exams. Online classes might require more self-discipline than classroom learning, but that hard work will surely pay off.