The internet is a place of infinite knowledge. Imagine a portal, if you will, that presents you with any information that you require, pretty cool, isn’t it? Well, that’s the internet – a cool place. It is not surprising that with easy access to thousands of articles over one topic, a lot of students rely on the online study. However, using study sites is not everyone’s cup of coffee.
It requires a certain amount of smartness at times to ensure that you’re making the best use of the study sites. Study sites are a portal of immense knowledge. One can find articles, previous year papers, questions, study material and subject PDFs on these sites. While many people totally favour the use of study sites, others are against it.
Pretty much like anything and everything, study sites have two sides, a positive one and a negative one. From benefits like endless course material to drawbacks like plagiarism, study sites can be a tricky web portal to deal with. Apparently, the online study has its own merits and demerits. Presented below are a few pros and cons of using study sites to let you decide if it is a boon or a vain.
Pros of Using Study Sites
A big chunk of students, the majority of which are millennials or born in the 21st century will tell you exactly why study sites are a boon to the society. Undoubtedly, there are numerous benefits of online study portals, few of which are explained below.
Lots of Study Material:
Unlike a book or a group of book in a particular library, there is no limit to the study content available online. One can find thousands of different articles and ebooks on one topic. This does not only help to provide the students with unlimited study material but also broadens the concepts using the views and facts of people all around the world.
Discussion Group:
Study sites have a discussion forum where students from around the world can express their views and impart their wisdom upon one another. Besides students, subjects experts can also access the discussion forums. A student can, therefore, learn more about different cultures or how certain things are understood in a different culture by getting in touch with people from all around the globe.
Online Expert Help:
Every study sites hire subject experts that are dedicated to answering the queries of students. These experts are generally top qualified professionals in their respective field. Students have the option to contact an expert at any time of the day on most of the sites. It is like having your favourite professor right in your pocket whenever in need.
24*7 on-the-go Library:
Preparing for an important test or exam late at night but can’t get access to a reliable book cause it’s off-hours for the library. Yes, we have all been there. However, with study sites, you can access the required study material at any time, anywhere. It is like having a library stacked with unlimited guides and books right in your pocket.
Cheaper Option:
There is a lot of online study content that is available for you free of cost. You can easily find free or cheaper ebook alternatives to a traditional book. Moreover, ebooks are available topic by topic rather than a complete subject book. Therefore, you can avoid the extra cost of buying the whole book from a seller. You can just buy ebooks of the topics you require. That’s some way to save a few bucks.
The Ultimate Guide to Exams:
Books can give you factual and logical knowledge. Whereas, study sites are a complete package. Besides, the required knowledge, study sites also provide insight into exam patterns and how to prepare for certain exams. Online study portals also provide previous year question papers and answers to the questions. It’s always good to know the most important topics for the exam to score well.
Last-minute Saviour:
All the study content is mere a click/touch away on study sites. They even compile the list of important formulae, laws and facts that you should memorize just before the exam. Moreover, if you need to come up with a last-minute presentation, just google it.
Cons of Using Study Sites
Just like anything else, study sites also have a bad side. However, it’s down to every individual whether he/she makes use of the study sites positively or negatively. Nevertheless, there are certain demerits of using study sites that are tough to avoid.
Possibility of learning wrong:
All the books and the professors in your college are certified. However, the same is not the case with every study site. There have been many instances where people studied a wrong formula or law on a site and used it in the exam. Please ensure that online study content that you’re using is legit.
Error Proneness:
eLearning can make a student more error-prone. This is no brainer, more often than not, study sites focus on short tricks to solve problems. This is not a suitable method and might not work with every problem. Moreover, there is a possibility of learning wrong formulae and facts from the site.
Uniquity Issues:
Many study sites have the option to download other student’s research work, presentation slides and papers. Many times, students download someone else’s work and present it as their own. This is both ethically and legally wrong. Plagiarism is a crime.
Copyright Infringement Issues:
The laws state that you must give credit or ask permission before using someone else’s data. However, easy access to other student’s work, author’s work and poems tempt many students to copy or share the work. This is copyright infringement and may cause legal troubles.
Cheating Portal:
As mentioned in the above points, study sites provide easy access to unlimited online content. A student can, therefore, easily cheat during the exam. There have been increasing cases of students cheating during an exam using the internet.
Clearly, study sites have many pros and cons. It comes down to each student how well they make use of it. Study sites as technology are developed to help people provide with a smart learning platform. It’s in our hands that we do not misuse these platforms. There is a need for educating students to make only fair use of study sites.
