University lecturers are now able to put their lectures on the Internet for students to read and so the importance of attending face to face lectures has been reduced.

Do you believe the use of the Internet in formal education is a good idea? What future effects will the Internet have on academic study?

In the Internet age, printed materials have been digitalized to meet users’ demands and university lectures are not an exception. Some educationalists speak of their fears that this phenomenon results in different learning practices and alters social relations. Personally, I think the Internet can be a tool in formal education to some extent and it can offer individual learners increased freedom to access high-quality educational provision.

Admittedly, the application of the Internet to formal education can be advantageous in some cases. To begin with, putting lectures on the Internet is seen as a new culture of learning. University lectures are much more complex than high school lessons on account of the amount of knowledge and skills provided for students. Therefore, uploading lectures can help students review lessons, be a reference for their scientific research or for their further reading. Furthermore, uploading lectures can allow students to reduce constrains of place, space and time. For example, those who have part-time jobs or face with unexpected things can arrange their schedules without missing necessary knowledge.

In the future, we can be certain that the Internet will change traditional forms of classroom instruction. Firstly, the campus would be smaller with the reduction of classes and sessions due to the introduction of online courses. Therefore, international students can register online courses without moving out of their national boundaries. Secondly, online lectures allow learning to take place on a many-to-many basis. Thus, although fewer international academic conferences will be organized, learners can benefit from various sources of knowledge and expertise that exist outside of their immediate environment.

In conclusion, the digital technology has changed human life in a better and more modern way. The Internet has already played an important role in academic study. Therefore, it is anticipated that the Internet’s educational significance will continue to increase.