Después de leer atentamente el texto y las cuestiones siguientes, el alumno deberá responder en INGLÉS a las cuestiones proporcionadas.
TEXTO
Courses Online
For those students who struggle to leave their beds for a 9 a.m. lecture, the idea
of studying online wherever and whenever you want – including under the
duvet with a laptop – may seem like a dream come true. Soon some students
will be able to do just that, as will anybody with a computer and internet
connection, because a number of universities are planning to offer some of their
courses online. Not only will these offer greater flexibility to online learners
around the world, they will also be free.
EdX, an online platform founded by Harvard, Berkeley and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, has already attracted 800,000 students from 192
countries since it started in autumn 2012. Significantly, the platform has
developed an examination process, which means that online learners can
graduate from an EdX course with a certificate and a grade.
However, it seems unlikely, for the time being, that online higher education will
supersede traditional on-campus university degrees. It is well-known that many
leading institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge, are absent from a list of
17 universities that have signed up to give away their course content online.
An obstacle preventing online courses from being taken seriously is the fact that
many have a high drop-out rate. For instance, although 155,000 students
registered online to take MIT’s courses on electronics on EdX, only 7,200
students completed them. With no tutors or lecturers to help you in person, selfmotivation
and discipline are required in abundance to see a course through to
the end.
QUESTIONS
1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No
marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
a) Online courses do not offer the possibility of getting a diploma.
b) Education online is already available in every university of Great Britain.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
Do not copy from the text.
a) How will courses online change the academic routine of university students?
b) Why is it so difficult for students to complete an online course?
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) make a great effort (paragraph 1)
b) nevertheless (paragraph 3)
c) replace (paragraph 3)
d) needed (paragraph 4)
(Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)
4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets
when given.
a) I graduated years ago. If my university _____ (offer) courses online, I _____
(take) them.
b) Professor Nelson is not interested _____ laptop lectures. He prefers traditional
education _____ virtual platforms.
c) Students who _____ (admit) in MIT are aware that they won’t succeed _____
they work hard.
d) Complete the following sentence to report what was said.
“What would you like to do when you finish High School?” Mary asked her son.
Mary asked her son __________________________________
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.
Do you think online learning will eventually substitute traditional education? Give
your opinion.
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)
Prueba de selectividad para la comunidad de Madrid. Convocatoria Jun 2013-2014. Inglés.
Respuestas
a) Online courses do not offer the possibility of getting a diploma.
False. “...the platform has developed an examination process, which means that online learners can graduate from an EdX course with a certificate and a grade”.
b) Education online is already available in every university of Great Britain.
False “ It is well-known that many leading institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge, are absent from a list of 17 universities that have signed up to give away their course content online”.
2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.
a) How will courses online change the academic routine of university students?
It will make the feedback process somehow non-existent because of the absence of person-to-person communication.
b) Why is it so difficult for students to complete an online course?
Because there is no pressure coming from the teachers, no real motivation provided from face-to-face interactions. There are only deadlines and tests to be realized.
3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) make a great effort (paragraph 1) - struggle
To go out of one's way to achieve something.
b) nevertheless (paragraph 3) - However In spite of something.
c) replace (paragraph 3) - supersede
To substitute something.
d) needed (paragraph 4) - required When something is essential or very important for something else.
4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.
a) I graduated years ago. If my university __offered___ (offer) courses online, I would take__ (take) them.
b) Professor Nelson is not interested ___in__ laptop lectures. He prefers traditional education __to ___ virtual platforms.
c) Students who ___were admitted__ (admit) in MIT are aware that they won’t succeed _if they don’t work hard.
d) Complete the following sentence to report what was said. “What would you like to do when you finish High School?” Mary asked her son. Mary asked her son __what he would like to do when he finished high school_____
5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic. Do you think online learning will eventually substitute traditional education? Give your opinion.
I consider that online education, if improved, can conquer more ground in the future. A way to make teaching more dynamic and motivational has to be found in other for it to be considered more effective than person-to-person education. In my opinion, conventional classes are way more participative and there’s room to ask questions that wouldn’t normally come up in an online space. The college environment provided by the universities with conventional classes is a key component of the high-education experience, influencing the students’ motivation to be better at their classes and strive for excellence among their classmates. So maybe if online education incorporates the key characteristics of conventional classes, it can, maybe, substitute it in the future.
Prueba de selectividad para la comunidad de Madrid. Convocatoria Jun 2013-2014. Inglés.
Respuesta:
1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
a) Online courses do not offer the possibility of getting a diploma.
False. “...the platform has developed an examination process, which means that online learners can graduate from an EdX course with a certificate and a grade”.
b) Education online is already available in every university of Great Britain.
False “ It is well-known that many leading institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge, are absent from a list of 17 universities that have signed up to give away their course content online”.
2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.
a) How will courses online change the academic routine of university students?
It will make the feedback process somehow non-existent because of the absence of person-to-person communication.
b) Why is it so difficult for students to complete an online course?
Because there is no pressure coming from the teachers, no real motivation provided from face-to-face interactions. There are only deadlines and tests to be realized.
3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) make a great effort (paragraph 1) - struggle
To go out of one's way to achieve something.
b) nevertheless (paragraph 3) - However In spite of something.
c) replace (paragraph 3) - supersede
To substitute something.
d) needed (paragraph 4) - required When something is essential or very important for something else.
4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.
a) I graduated years ago. If my university __offered___ (offer) courses online, I would take__ (take) them.
b) Professor Nelson is not interested ___in__ laptop lectures. He prefers traditional education __to ___ virtual platforms.
c) Students who ___were admitted__ (admit) in MIT are aware that they won’t succeed _if they don’t work hard.
d) Complete the following sentence to report what was said. “What would you like to do when you finish High School?” Mary asked her son. Mary asked her son __what he would like to do when he finished high school_____
5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic. Do you think online learning will eventually substitute traditional education? Give your opinion.
I consider that online education, if improved, can conquer more ground in the future. A way to make teaching more dynamic and motivational has to be found in other for it to be considered more effective than person-to-person education. In my opinion, conventional classes are way more participative and there’s room to ask questions that wouldn’t normally come up in an online space. The college environment provided by the universities with conventional classes is a key component of the high-education experience, influencing the students’ motivation to be better at their classes and strive for excellence among their classmates. So maybe if online education incorporates the key characteristics of conventional classes, it can, maybe, substitute it in the future.