TOEFL WRITING task-1
Online Graduate Programs
The writing section tests your ability to write essays in English similar to those that you would write in College courses.
The integrated Essay:
First you will read an academic passage and then you will listen to a lecture on the same topic. You may take notes as you read and listen, but notes are not graded. You may use your notes to write the essay. The reading passage will disappear while you are listening to the lecture, but the passage will return to the screen for reference when you begin to write your essay. You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise your response. Typically, a good essay for the integrated topic will require that you write 150-225 words.
Reading Passage:
Online graduate degree programs are being offered worldwide. In many respects, the programs are like the same degree programs available in a traditional campus environment, but in several key aspects, they are very different. First, online degree programs do not offer one-on-one time with the professors. On-campus, professors hold regular office hours and expect to have conferences with their graduate students. In addition, many opportunities present themselves for informal interactions before and after class or in chance meetings on campus. Some professors invite their graduate students to their homes or otherwise make themselves available in semi-social settings. In contrast, online professors are unable to see their graduate students in person and, consequently, do not know them very well. Second, many online graduate programs are not as challenging or as high quality as their on-campus counterparts. In fact, some courses are so easy that students are able to complete them online in one weekend. For the most part, senior faculty members refuse to teach the online courses, contributing to the difference in quality of the online and on-campus courses with the same titles. Many excellent professors view the huge numbers in the online classes as an impediment. Technology allows for more students to take the same course, and junior faculty or graders provide feedback on assignments that are graded by senior faculty teaching on campus.Third, top schools do not offer online degree programs. Although non-credit courses or even a handful of credit courses may be available, the best schools still require that graduate students complete a more conventional program with most of their time spent in residence on campus. For students who want a graduate degree from a prestigious university, online options are not open to them.
Now listen to a lecture on the same topic as the passage you have just read.
Integrated Essay :
“Online Graduate Programs”
Today we’re going to question some of the claims made in the reading about online graduate degree programs. First of all, the one-on-one time with professors that a student has, as in a traditional course, is really up to the student. Those who want to talk with their professors, do so. The main difference is the way that professors communicate in online courses. Whereas student interaction with faculty in traditional on-campus programs is often face to face, faculty interaction online is more likely to be by email and chat, or occasionally by telephone conference.
Second, the claim that the difficulty level and the quality of the courses are inferior in online degree programs just doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. In order to be accredited, the online program must meet the same standards as those of the on-campus program at the same institution. And this is also interesting- of the 20 programs in my study, students reported that they thought the online courses would be easier, but, in fact, they were more difficult because they required more self-discipline and personal time management than the courses that were offered on campus on a regular schedule. In many cases, online students complained that they had to learn how to manage the technology in an online course in addition to learning the content of the course.
Last then, Although I’ll concede that some online degree programs aren’t accredited and not worth the time, it’s simply not true that top schools don’t offer online degree programs. Just as an example, every Ivy League school except Princeton provides online degrees and even Princeton offers a large number of courses online. A few of the Ivy League programs require a one-term residency requirement on campus, but many allow students to complete the entire degree online, and most of the other top schools also provide online degree options.
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