WESTMINSTER INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN TASHKENT

Lecturer’s name: Alim Asanov

Summary and Response Essay

Topic: Learning

Word count: 751 words

In their article Online and Face-to-Face Learning in the Digital Age Keith S. Folse and Tison

Pugh (2015) highlight unique conveniences and challenges that come with online and face to

face learning. With an increasing access to computers, online learning is getting more popular

in both secondary and tertiary education. The authors also indicate how convenient the online

learning is, explaining the flexible schedule students can complete the assignments and no

need to set aside specific times to family and personal issues. However, they said, social

interaction available in classrooms is important not just in learning a foreign language, but in a

real market place. It is also emphasized that not every student is technology savvy, which is

why it might take them long either to complete the assignments online or to develop a proper

computer literacy. According to the authors’ ideas, there might not be proper assumptions

about students’ personalities, like if they involve in cheating or not, making it more challenging

during assessments in online classes. Overall, Keith S. Folse and Tison Pugh suggest that both

students and teachers need to create a learning environment where they see their prosperity to

the best. Despite the convenient atmosphere e-learning creates, it is still in need of more

interaction which most professions require, and usually dependent on technology while not all

students can have access to.

The topic of online and offline learning has been exposed to debates lately. The authors claim

the remote learning to be more convenient as opposed to the traditional one. I agree with this

statement, as online learning gives an opportunity to students to catch up a balance between

their personal and education life. According to IUAS (2024) students are free to choose

whichever schedule they want to complete the assignments. This learning system is convenient

for students, allowing them to attend classes and submit their work from anywhere they want.

IU International University of Applied Sciences also considers the benefits and offers flexible
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exam schedules to students. Moreover, according to UNIVERSITY OF THE POTOMAC (2022),

students’ preferences as for place to study differ from one another. For instance, some prefer to

simply sit and study from the comfort of the sofa while other may find libraries much more

comfortable places to study. Again, this particularly applies to those who feel uncomfortable to

express their opinions in front of a crowd, making them prioritize this type of learning. To

conclude, remote learning is being considered as a superior option by many, as it gives more

freedom and aligns with their personal life.

Enhanced communication skill is vital in a work place, and this applies to all types of jobs a

person is involved in. To the authors’ opinions, it is this skill that lacks in online learning, and I

agree with this statement. According to Singapore Institute of Management (2023), the

importance of in person communication skills cannot be underestimated because it is one’s

secret weapon in career growth. Continuously improving this skill leads to be indispensable and

play a crucial role in a work place. University of Southern California (2024) states that it is

impossible not to have arguments in work place. A person with above mentioned skill can easily

get rid of arguments without much stress and conflict. Hence, it is good level of communication

that helps people in many situations where conflicts are involved.

People have different opinions towards students’ participation in online classes. Authors argue

that it increases when it is an online class, but I disagree with this view. Aaron Sweeney (2024)

states that the more access to technical equipment, the more successful online learning is.

“Students need devices with a strong internet connection to attend online classes, complete

assignments, and participate in discussions. However, not all students have the financial

means to afford these devices, especially those from low-income backgrounds”. Furthermore,

University Affairs (2020) claims that the sense of community found in traditional classes is lost

in online ones. Due to less interaction with like-minded peers, typical atmosphere cannot be

replicated in online classes, making students feel reluctant to actively participate in them.

To summarize, remote learning offers many conveniences like flexibility in students' schedules

and time-efficiency while it still lacks in numerous aspects which traditional form applies. Ones
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of which are active interaction, both verbal and physical, and encouragement of students

regardless of economic condition. Therefore, the main focus for not only students, but also

lecturers, should be on identifying which form represents their abilities to a maximum extent.

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Reference List

Folse, K. and Pugh, T.(2015). Online and Face-to-Face Learning in the Digital Age. In: Le

Drean, L. (ed). Great writing 5: from great essays to research, 3rd ed. Boston: Cengage

Learning, 102-131 [Accessed 5 December 2024]

Morin, A. (2020). 5 Reasons Students Aren’t Engaging in Distance Learning. Child Mind

Institute. Available from https://childmind.org/article/5-reasons-students-arent-engaging-

in-distance-learning/ [Accessed 5 December 2024].

Ong, J. (2020). 7 Missing pieces: Why Students Prefer in-person over Online Classes -

University Affairs. University Affairs. Available from

https://universityaffairs.ca/features/7-missing-pieces-why-students-prefer-in-person-

over-online-classes-2/ [Accessed 5 December 2024].

Sweeney, A. (2024). 7 Top Challenges of Online Learning for Students (and Solutions).

Northeast Technical Institute. Available from https://ntinow.edu/7-top-challenges-of-

online-learning-for-students-and-solutions/ [Accessed 5 December 2024].

University of Southern California. (2023). Why Is Effective Communication Important to

Career Success? communicationmgmt.usc.edu. Available from

https://communicationmgmt.usc.edu/blog/improve-workplace-communication [Accessed

5 December 2024].

What Are Communication Skills and Why Are They Important? | SIM. (2023). Singapore

Institute of Management (SIM). Available from https://www.sim.edu.sg/articles-

inspirations/why-communication-skills-is-a-career-game-changer.

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Reflection

Word count: 441 words

As for the module Academic English, the assignment is consisted of listening, reading,

reflection and the response part for the first semester. Feedback has been provided by my

lecturer on the LMS platform, and I had a chance to submit draft on not one but two topics.

Google scholar was one of the reliable sources I made use of to find the information I needed

while doing researches.

I spent the first semester on preparing for the in-class test and learning how to write summary,

response task and reflection. Since I did not know how to use those note-taking methods

before, I found it a bit challenging to prepare for the in-class test at the beginning. Slowly but

surely, everything started to work, so did the note-taking methods. But it does not mean that it

worked fully with me, because if it did, the result would be 100 percent in in-class test. Briefly

taking notes effectively still challenges me, although I have worked on skipping vowels to get

the most of it. So, if I could start it all from the beginning, I would have more focused on time

management first, then the others. looking back, I realize that the feedback given by my lecturer

played a significant role in improving my listening skills, as it clearly defined what I lacked and

should work on. After taking the in-class test, we started working on how to write summary and

response essay. Although this task felt much easier at first, I faced a couple of complexities.

That is, writing a thesis statement part and finding the main idea of the paragraph were the

difficult ones. Likewise, since there was a connection between thesis statement and conclusion

paragraph, the process of writing a conclusion part ended up to be challenging. However,

during the seminars, I have learned what exactly these parts require, and completed the ones

which seemed better than before. As I mentioned on top, I had a chance of submitting two

drafts to see the progress and getting them analyzed, but I could not manage to meet the

deadline of neither of them.

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Throughout this semester, I think I have learned the methods of effectively taking notes during

the lessons dedicated to the listening part. Apart from this, the way of writing a strong thesis

statement has been learnt, and this is going to be helpful in the future. After all, if I had a

chance to go to the past, I would mainly focus on overcoming the stress and anxiety. If there

will be any case like this, I will meet my personal tutor to get feedback on the issue.

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