Compare/ contrast Taking a Role to Respond to Other Authors - Essay Example

hat these courses are more accessible and flexible, those who are not so convinced argue that online classes inhibit face-to-face interactions and do not give the students the individual attention they deserve. In this essay, I take the role of Kate Keifer to respond to the opinions of Thomas Friedman and David Brooks in relation to the effectiveness of online courses, arguing that these courses are not as effective as actual classroom lessons. In essence, I argue that online courses inhibit face-to-face interactions that enhance the learning process, that the courses are not as accessible as the two authors want to make us believe, and that these courses are too academic-centered.

Face-to-face interactions are very useful in the learning process as they give students the chance to learn from the opinions of other people through interpersonal communications. In particular, students, according to Keifer (2007) desire meet their instructors and engage in conversations that give them feedback regarding their studies. In essence, face-to-face conversations facilitate critical thinking among students and also help the professors to better assess the learner’s understanding of concepts.

On the contrary, online classes do not provide opportunities for meaningful interactions among students and teachers. It, therefore, means that when institutions such as M.I.T brag about the high numbers of online students, what they are not telling the population is that these students do not get the individual attention they deserve, meaning that they may end up being dragged through the class. According to Keifer (2007), learning through online classes cannot be as effective on students as learning in real classrooms because the latter allow for more interaction as opposed to the textual interaction of the former.

Keifer (2007) gives the example of a professor who says that sometimes when he posts a discussion question online, most of the students will provide short and unelaborated