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Argumentative Essay: Online Learning in Tertiary Education

Oneeza Shaheed (USI- 1049480)

Department of Language and Cultural Studies, University of Guyana

Faculty of Education and Humanities

ENG 1205 – Use of English

Ms. Chantal Jagoo

April 15, 2024

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Online Learning in Tertiary Education

Online learning is becoming a popular avenue for tertiary education access worldwide as

efforts are being made to create opportunities for many individuals. Based on the National Center

for Education Statistics (2022, as cited in Shauger et al., 2023), the number of students pursuing

tertiary education online was “approximately eleven million during the 2021- 2022 school year.”

This demonstrates the precedence that online learning has taken over recent years. Tertiary

online learning is an academic journey that takes place through internet connections. Online

learning offers flexibility, convenience, and technological advancement for busy schedules,

reducing transportation costs and enabling students to study from anywhere, making it an

essential skill in the 21st century. Although many persons may argue that pursuing tertiary

education online is a tedious journey and is not as efficient as traditional learning, online learning

opens a gateway of opportunities for many persons who cannot afford the opportunity to

effectively pursue sound tertiary education because of other commitments such as family and

work.

Post-secondary education experiences have been revolutionized due to the flexible nature

of online learning. This transformation resulted from the immense flexibility emanating from

online learning experiences. Students with families and full-time jobs gravitate to online studies

due to the opportunity to study at a convenient pace to their lifestyles. Students benefit from

online learning because it allows them to learn conveniently and with time to spare for other

pursuits (Weldon et al., 2021). This emphasizes that students can study advantageously and have

time for their families or job commitments. However, although many people support the flexible

nature of online tertiary education, some critics may argue that much flexibility can result in

negligence in completing tasks. According to Turan et al. (2022), it is the student's responsibility
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to manage their learning effectively. Moreover, although some students may be negligent, others

might be very proactive. For instance, with online learning, students can read ahead as most of

the information they need to study is usually available online (Baker & Sophya Tukhvatulina,

2023). As a result, many students do not have to passively wait for their tutors to lecture but can

engage with content ahead of time. The change in tertiary-level education catalyzed by online

learning's flexibility has provided the opportunity to balance their studies with both their families

and work obligations, while at the same time enabling them to adopt a proactive approach to

learning.

Additionally, tertiary online learning aids persons who wish to further their studies but

live in distant areas from higher education institutions and face financial constraints. For

instance, if a person living in the hinterland wants to attend the University of Guyana for face-to-

face learning, that person will have to pay house rent, commute expenses, bills, university fees,

stationery expenses, and even clothing expenses. Fortunately, with the opportunity for tertiary

online studies, that person can learn from home and save additional expenses. According to

Money (2021, as cited in Rist, n.d.), students who take classes online and work remotely can

save time and money with the convenience of not having to commute from home to actual

classroom spaces. This demonstrates the potential for reducing expenses such as transportation

costs. On the other hand, Waruru and Nakweya (2020, as cited in Olawunmi & Osakwe, 2021)

postulated that online learning also breeds new expenses. This highlights expenses such as

purchasing a computer or data for an internet connection. Admittedly, computer and internet

expenses are unavoidable as they are the basic requirements for online learning, but are relatively

cost-effective compared to housing expenditures. Additionally, although tertiary institutions may

offer dormitory residences, dormitories cannot house large numbers of students (ERDEMİR,
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2023). As a result, many students still have to find other options for housing, which can prove to

be expensive when considering the rapidly increasing cost of living. While some may argue that

there are additional expenses associated with online study, they are way less than the monthly

strain experienced by many students when renting an apartment if they reside far from

universities.

Furthermore, online tertiary education fosters digital literacy development, an essential

skill in this twenty-first century. As students continue their online education journey, they will

constantly find themselves engaging with varying levels of technology. Assignments may require

video creation, editing, and synthesizing, and students will have to surf online to find ways to

complete these tasks. Digital skills have been developed considerably through online learning

(Tankó, 2021). This proves that online learning provides students with the necessary skills for

further advancement. Opposing views may claim that due to the lack of digital literacy, the

educational experience of some students can face constraints. Additionally, a quantitative study

done with Australian and South African learners showed that some students found it challenging

to manage their online portals or research for information (Joubert et al., 2023). Since the

students may not be familiar with aspects such as online portals, their learning process can be

hampered. Nevertheless, this point overlooks the plethora of other online resources that are

readily available and simple to use. For example, many people can access Google Search, which

provides information and guides on almost anything one can ponder. So, should people complain

of having difficulties when they can use one from many other online applications to help them

understand how to use certain technologies? It is about determination and persistence and not

always passively waiting to be instructed on how to accomplish things. According to Wallace

(2015, as cited in Braund et al., 2020), courage is a personality quality that helps one learn, grow,
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take chances, and adapt to a changing world. So why not leap courageously into online

opportunities to help you become more digitally literate? Online higher education is a vital tool

for progress because it fosters digital literacy, which is necessary for success in this age. With

perseverance, determination, and the wealth of online resources available, students can achieve

digital literacy through their quest to complete assignments and research as part of their online

tertiary education.

In summary, online higher education has drastically changed the nature and delivery of

tertiary education by allowing learners to pursue their learning at a convenient time, place, and

pace while retaining affordability without geographical limitations. In addition to providing

resources to help students gain significant digital literacy for the twenty-first century, the

flexibility of online learning allows students to balance their education with their work and

family obligations. Despite several challenges, including the issue of effective time management,

online learning provides an excellent option to conventional face-to-face education, thereby

saving students the trouble of transportation and housing expenses. The right attitude and support

avenues allow students to navigate barriers and thus go along their digital literacy odyssey in

online tertiary education, a process that guarantees individual and professional success in an age

of technology.
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References

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ERDEMİR, B. (2023). Accommodation Problem of Higher Education Students from the Past to

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