You have 90 minutes.
This is a real exam answer which was singled out by the teacher:
THE UNIVERSITY – AN EXHAUSTED INSTITUTION?
The first universities mushroomed
during the Middle Ages in the heart of Old Europe. A strong need to share
wisdom and to create knowledge was the seed of important institutions such as
the Sorbonne University or Salamanca University. For the first time, a group of
students could follow an operation in the magnum room at Bologna faculty of
Medicine.
Buildings to teach different
specialties were developed together along with some lodging and sport
facilities. The concept of university campus appeared as a place to cultivate
our souls and bodies, remembering the satiric Roman writer Juvenalis statement
‘mens sana in corpore sano’. Universities in modern times have become a melting
pot, a place not only to learn but to enrich lives through personal contact
with other students and members of staff.
On the contrary, some universities
are severely overcrowded nowadays. High rates of unemployment have put aside
young people into universities, especially in places such as Sicily or
Andalusia.
Suddenly a new model of university
has appeared with the new Millennium. The revolution of Internet has completely
changed the learning process and the way of communicating. Universities such as
UOC or Udima, just to name a few, have skyrocketed their number of students in
the last years. Notwithstanding the distance, pupils may follow their lessons
and work in groups.
But is the old model of university
an exhausted institution? There are some pros and cons for each model of
institution. A traditional university on campus may foster long lasting
relationships since physical contact is very important in the development of
our own personality. It is also necessary for scientific specialties in order
to carry out some tests or experiments. On the other side, on-line universities
are doing well in teaching arts-related specialties. They are also appropriate
to create a more proactive approach of the students towards the learning
process.
In the near future we will see
traditional and on-line universities teaching happily together.
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