page 4 Suggested time: 45 minutes Maximum score: 150 points GENERAL PAPER Part A: Summary Instructions: Summarize the following text by reducing it to approximately one third of ifs original length; the summary should have around 250 words. You should use your judgment in deciding what the main ideas are and which points should be stressed while respecting the balance of the otiginal. Clarity and organization will be among the elements taken info account in evaluating your summary. Your summary must be written in your own words and NOT copied directly from the text. Failure to meet these guidelines will result in loss of points. You must wite clearly and legibly. If your paper cannot be read by the evaluators, it will not receive credit. Scrap paper for preliminary drafting has been provided. IMPORTANT: Write your summary in black or blue pen on the dedicated pages of the answer booklet. TEXT Because online leaming is a fairly new educational format, some potential students stil have doubts about the credibilly or cost of online education degree programmes. individuals may have seen advertisements promising a degree that is “only a click away” and wrongly equate these “diploma mils" with legitimate institutions. Or they may wonder why tuition costs for online programmes are offen equivalent to campus programmes, even though they are not sitfing in a classroom. However, as online university degrees become more commonplace, these misgivings are likely to dissipate. One of the more significant discussions about online education degree courses swirls around the quality of interaction between students, students and teachers, and students and information. Some say that meaningful discussions can only effectivelypage 5 happen face-to-face, but due to technological advances, this is no longer true. Often, in an on-campus class, a student may sit in the back of the room, take notes, and listen fo the lecture — all without parlicipating. In online classes, you MUST interact, Students cannot avoid class discussions, because online teachers track who is interacting, how many times they interact, and what they discuss, Advocates of online learning point out that discussions are not limited to the 50 minutes of a traditional class period, Professors often comment that the depth of online discussions exceeds what they can achieve in the classroom. Sometimes, online teachers base part of the grade on student participation. Teachers who know how to effectively manage online discussions can prevent aggressive and talkative students from dominating a conversation and can easily steer the conversation towards their class goal. Additionally, shy students who would not dream of raising their hands in class and are uncomfortable thinking on their feet appreciate the time that email discussions provide. Many individuals also argue that technology isolates people and online leaming only adds to this Problem. Undergraduate college students, in particular, do not always go to College simply to acquire information leading to a career. During those four years on campus, they learn social skills and how fo be adulls and integrate into society. However, while younger students gain more from a face-to-face environment, socialization may not necessarily be a priority for adult learners who have already gained real-world experience. One advantage to online education degree programmes that students cite is the diversity of their Classmates. Since students can parlicipate from just about any geographic location, classes often include people from across the county and even inlemational students. When colleges and universities began experimenting with online classes, faculty members had to leam a whole new way of teaching, Professors reported that going through the rigors of teciching students via the Internet forced them to re-examine how they teach, They had to step back from their familiar patterns and methodology. Online teachers found the new environment exciting and challenging, and in the opinions of teachers who feach online, refreshing. Now that online education degree providers havepage 6 more experience in what works and what doesn't, facully members use a wide vatiely of teaching strategies and platforms. Some online providers have a team of graphic designers, instructional designers, programmers, and animators who support the course material with their technical and creative talent. The professors do the teaching, but a backup team helps with everything - down to the fine details of checking links on the web pages to make sure they work. Education statistics gathered through surveys reveal that online students learn as well as, or better than, face-to-face students. The online environment fosters independent leaming. Because students aren't guided by professors and don't pick up their biases, they depend on their own observations and conclusions in applying theories. One would assume that students learning foreign languages face-to-face would do much better than their online counterparts. However, nationally normed fest-score results for online siudents are the same as or better than campus-based students. Online language students are tested on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, as well as knowledge of the culture. Videos demonstrate the language in context, including nonverbal aspects such as gestures, which are an important part of leaming a language. Students can listen fo and view lessons multiple timos so that the language is slowly absorbed by repetition and practice. The only disadvantage is the socialization aspect of language, which instructors can overcome with online voice assessments and discussions. When evaluating the pros and cons of online education, it comes down to each individual's leaming style. Some students simply prefer the classroom environment, while others benefit from the convenience and flexibility of learning online (752 words}