I used to have a strong prejudice against online education as many people around me do. They believe that online education can give you nothing but a diploma. However, after having learned at Beiwaionline for more than a year, I completely changed my mind and realized that online education is as good as campus education. There are three reasons that I want to mention about the advantages of Beiwaionline.
To begin with, the textbooks here are well designed for learners to improve their knowledge systematically because the textbooks are creative and scientific. Each unit of the textbooks consists of about 5 activities and every activity includes several tasks presented clearly for learners to understand what sort of language skills they will acquire by doing the tasks. Besides, the content of each textbook is different. Learners will acquire different scopes of knowledge by learning different textbooks. After learning Guide to Success, I had better understanding on my new role as a distant leaner; learned how to become a self-manager; and formed new learning habits. By learning Cross Culture Communication, I finally realized that it was so necessary to understand different cultures and respect other people and their cultures. English for Studying told me how to think critically and logically. Among these textbooks from which I have gained most is English For Studying. I was not able to write in English even a simple sentence, but now I can use English to express myself and to think logically and precisely before writing. It is no exaggeration to say that after learning the other textbooks of Beiwaionline I have gained language knowledge, but after learning English for Studying I have changed my way of thinking.
In addition, the integration of conventional face-to-face teaching with online learning is a very effective way for us learners to acquire knowledge. For instance, the face-to-face tutorial classes on campus once every two weeks are really exciting because the teachers of Beiwai who are known for excellent quality of language education are just standing in front of us and talking to us in person. You can’t imagine how good it is to be in that classroom with qualified teachers and active learning atmosphere of Beiwai. By attending the tutorials on campus, I am highly motivated, and full of passion. If I do not have time to attend the tutorialss, I can learn online through the course system provided by Beiwaionline. The system offers its learners much openness and flexibility. For example, I can communicate with my tutors as well as classmates in the course forum and learn a lot by reading the materials uploaded onto the forum by tutors, and essays written by other fellow classmates. Besides, I can raise questions there. For instance, I would like to post my essays on the course forum when I am not sure whether the words are employed properly. After learning comments from tutors and my classmates I will see the mistakes which I may have ignored on my own in the first place. The courseware is designed to enable us learners to listen to lectures of each course by professional tutors no matter where and when we are. As an adult distant learner who works from early morning till late at night with no weekends, I do not have fixed time to learn. As a result, learning at midnight is common. Therefore, the flexibility of online learning is really a wise choice for me. Sitting in front of my computer and learning for a while after work has now become a part of my daily life.
Last but not least, the tutors of Beiwaionline are kind, helpful and responsible with their interesting and encouraging feedback and personality. For instance, the tutor of Cross Culture Communication, Mr. Wu is one of my favorite tutors of Beiwaionline. I can never forget the kind smile and the active learning atmosphereduringthe first tutorial class of Cross Culture Communication. Although that wasn't the first time that I attended face-to-face tutorial class, I was still a bit nervous because there were many unfamiliar classmates from class one who used to have class in a different classroom. I lost myself and forgot to find a place to sit down. Standing there with nervousness, I noticed tutor Wu, standing in front of class , talking with some of my classmates, with a typically kind smile on his face. Seeing that warm smiling face, I soon felt relaxed. After a few minutes, he began the class by telling us an interesting story and then asked us to analyze the story with intercultural knowledge. Later, the whole class became lively. At that time, our interest was aroused. As far as I am concerned, he is such a helpful and patient tutor. He never makes negative comments on my writing while in fact there are mistakes in them. In order to help me build up confidence in writing, he talks to me and gives me detailed feedback and corrects my mistakes. With his encouragement, my writing skills have been improved gradually. The tutor of English for studying, Yajiao Deng, is one the most responsible tutors of Beiwaionline who has taught me how to think creatively, logically and how to write properly. Every time I encounter difficulties in writing, she always explains them to me until I entirely understand. As online tutors, both T-Wu and T-Deng have taught me the language knowledge and have greatly influenced my opinion on online education.
To sum up, learningat Beiwaionline, I have not only acquired language skills but also improved my own personal abilities including self-management, critical and logical thinking and good learning habits. In my opinion, I cannot acquire so much even on campus. As far as knowledge acquisition is concerned, Beiwaionline is one of the best online schools. Although not all people will agree withme, this is my real experience which made me change my previous prejudice on online education. I am proud that I have chosen to be an online student of Beiwai.
北京总部学习中心 鄢帮芹
