TOEFL® interview questions: Online courses

I took an online photography course during the summer holiday. The teacher showed us how to use light near a window, and we had to upload three pictures. I used my phone to photograph my grandmother's tea cups. Other students gave me short comments, which was helpful for my practice. I liked being able to watch the demonstration again. However, I sometimes waited two days for an answer when I did not understand one of the tasks.

• had to upload · Uses ‘had to’ to state a course task, giving the story a concrete detail.
• being able to watch · A gerund phrase works as the object of ‘liked’, pointing to the benefit of rewatching.

A short online photography course changed how I use my phone camera. We had a task where we could photograph only objects within reach of our desks. I thought that sounded boring, but I ended up moving my grandmother's tea cups around to see how the window light changed their shadows. The instructor recorded feedback on our pictures, so I could pause her comments and compare them with my own shots. That was more useful than a general lecture about taking better photographs. I enjoyed the flexibility, but I missed being able to ask someone immediately while I was experimenting.

• ended up moving · ‘End up’ plus a gerund shows an unexpected result of doing the task.
• compare them with my own shots · ‘Compare A with B’ explains exactly how replaying the feedback helped the learning.

I prefer recorded lessons because my weekly timetable changes quite a lot. Some afternoons I have laboratory work, and it does not always finish on time. With recordings, I can study after dinner and pause when I need to write something down. I do need a plan, or I may forget the course for several days. I usually put two study times in my calendar. This gives me freedom but also a small push to keep learning.

• does not always finish on time · Partial negation shows why a fixed class time clashes with lab work.
• pause when I need to · The ‘when’ clause links the pause function to a real study need.

For a course outside my degree, I'd pick recordings. My laboratory sessions sometimes run over, so a fixed evening class would be difficult to attend consistently. Recordings fit around my workload, and I can replay complicated explanations without interrupting anyone. Still, unlimited flexibility can turn into endless postponement. When I took a spreadsheet course, I booked two library sessions a week and treated them like appointments. I'd therefore look for recorded lessons with a weekly deadline and an optional question session. That combination would give me room to manage my timetable without leaving me entirely on my own when I got stuck.

• run over · ‘Run over’ means lasting longer than planned, which fits lab sessions.
• treated them like appointments · ‘Treat A like B’ shows how self-study time was fixed in the schedule.

I partly agree. A clear recording can explain the same information, and I can repeat the difficult parts. I used recordings to review statistics last term, and they helped me understand the calculations. But a classroom also gives me chances to hear other students' questions. Sometimes their questions show a problem I have not noticed. So I think recordings work well for reviewing information, but they do not give exactly the same learning experience as attending a class.

• I partly agree · States partial agreement directly, leaving room for the limits that follow.
• a problem I have not noticed · A relative clause without ‘that’ shows what classmates' questions add.

It depends on what the lecture is trying to achieve. For calculations, recordings let me pause at each step and try it myself. That's how I finally understood one statistics method last term. But a discussion about research ethics was different. Hearing a classmate challenge an example made me reconsider an answer I had thought was obvious. A recording of the lecturer alone wouldn't have captured that exchange. So I wouldn't measure learning simply by whether the same information appears on screen. Recordings can be excellent for some purposes, while being present matters more when ideas develop through questions and conversation.

• what the lecture is trying to achieve · A ‘what’ clause ties the judgment to the purpose of the lecture.
• reconsider an answer · ‘Reconsider’ means rethinking an earlier answer, showing what the discussion changed.

I think some required courses can be fully online. For example, a basic library research course mainly teaches students how to find articles and use databases. We could practise those skills on our own computers. This would save classroom space and travel time. But practical courses need a different arrangement. I would not want to learn laboratory skills only through videos. The university should decide according to the course activity and offer help to students who struggle with online study.

• according to the course activity · ‘According to’ names the basis for the decision, avoiding one rule for every course.
• on our own computers · Names where students would work, showing why this course suits online study.

I'd allow it for selected courses, with clear support available. My university requires a short course on finding academic sources, and most of its work already happens in a browser. Making that course fully online could free up rooms for activities that actually need them. The university would still need to provide computer access and a way to get help, rather than assume every student has a quiet room and reliable internet. I wouldn't apply the same policy to laboratory training or classes built around discussion. A required course doesn't automatically need a classroom, but moving it online should solve a real problem.

• free up rooms · ‘Free up’ means releasing space, naming a concrete benefit of the policy.
• rather than assume · ‘Rather than’ plus a verb points out an assumption the university should avoid.