Argument191 超时`

alcestisUID: 2101945

Argument191
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作者：alcestis     共用时间：35分48秒     about 500 words
从2005年7月15日10时51分到2005年7月15日11时35分
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The following is a letter from a professor at Xanadu College to the college's president.
'The development of an extensive computer-based long-distance learning program will enhance the reputation of Xanadu College. This program would allow more students to enroll in our courses, thereby increasing our income from student tuition. Traditional courses could easily be adapted for distance learners, as was shown by the adaptation of two traditional courses for our distance learning trial project last year. Also, by using computer programs and taped lectures, faculty will have fewer classroom obligations and more time to engage in extensive research, thereby enhancing the reputation of Xanadu.'
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In this argument, the arguer listed three somewhat irrelevant and inadequate reasons to support his assertion that the reputation of Xanadu college will inevitably be enhanced due to a long-distant course provided by the college.

To begin with, the arguer unfairly assumes that if the Xanadu College opens a long-distance learning program, there will be more students enroll in their courses. Firstly, the arguer gives us no information about how many people have access to computers in the region where they want to develop the learning program. It is possible that only few people have computers, which makes the course can not be prevalent. Secondly, given that many people have computers, there is no evidence to show that they will be interested in the course. Maybe the people who have computers are mainly from their twenties and thirties, and prefer using the computer for recreational activities, such as internet surfing, playing games, and on-line chatting. And it is also possible that most of the computer owners are old people, and they just use the computers to write e-mails or listen to some music. Thirdly, admitting the computer users want to receive some on-line education like the course Xanadu College provide, there is no guarantee that they would enroll in Xanadu College's course rather than any other colleges’. Without precluding the situations mention above, the arguer cannot convince me that more students will enroll in the long-distance course, thus bring the college more money.

In addition, the fact that two traditional courses are adapt for long-distant learning trial project does not ensure all traditional courses will be adaptable for the proposed long distant project. I admit that there are some of the traditional courses can be successfully adaptable for long-distance trail, and the two courses are among them. But, the arguer overlooks the possibility that there might be more courses that are not adaptable to be taught by computers. Such as some courses require the response and interact of the students. And maybe some courses are extremely difficult and without the personal instructions of the professors, the students can hardly understand them. And there are some courses require the students to do experiments, without the proper equipment and instructions the experiment cannot simply be done.

What is more, even assuming there will be more students took part in the long distant trail of the college, it does not follow that there will be less students engage in the classroom courses. There maybe more students next year. Therefore, the professors have to spend more time to instruct them. Without ruling out that possibility, there is no guarantee that the professors would have more time for their research as a result of the long-distant course. And even if the professors truly have more time to do their research, the reputation of the college may not be enhanced as the writer claims. The professors of the college maybe not good at research work and they may make no significant contribution although they devote more time. Further, there are a lot of other factors that may affect the college’s reputations, such us the campus environment, students’ behavior, and the price of the education. Thus, it is groundless for the arguer to assume that the reputation of the college will be enhanced.

In sum, this argument is not well reasoned as it stands. More information and further consideration is needed before Xanadu College final decide on the long-distant courses.