TOPIC: Some people think that universities should not provide so much theoretical knowledge but give more practical training throughout their courses.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
It is generally accepted that universities are the very places where students can obtain profound knowledge of the fields they are following, and that both theoretical knowledge and practical experience are essential for their future career. However, there is some controversy among people about whether or not universities should place less emphasis on theoretical knowledge and more on practical training throughout their courses .In fact, this issue is in itself a very complex one, and therefore should be taken into consideration carefully.
To begin with, nobody can argue that the acquisition of theoretical knowledge is very crucial, since this is the basis of practical training. In other words, students must have a good grasp of a subject before practising it in reality. Without basic knowledge, students may become unfamiliar with the subject, so they may run into difficulty when undergoing practical training. In addition, not all subjects can be taught by practical experiences, such as History or Mathematics.
However, it should be borne in mind that empirical research also plays a vital role in students' success at universities, as the ultimate aim of studying is to serve people's lives more and more efficiently. By way of illustration, job market always has a tendency to seek for people having more practical experience than those who only excel at theoretical knowledge. Besides, practical training is a very effective way to get useful experience that sometimes cannot be learnt from books. For example, students majoring in medicine must attend some practical training so that they can know more clearly about the real human body, thus leading to a slighter chance of making mistakes when they have to implement genuine operations in the future.
Taking everything into account, I strongly believe that both theoretical and empirical knowledge can bring about many great benefits. Therefore, it is important that universities should provide a well-balanced education attaching equal importance to both theory and practical training.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
It is generally accepted that universities are the very places where students can obtain profound knowledge of the fields they are following, and that both theoretical knowledge and practical experience are essential for their future career. However, there is some controversy among people about whether or not universities should place less emphasis on theoretical knowledge and more on practical training throughout their courses .In fact, this issue is in itself a very complex one, and therefore should be taken into consideration carefully.
To begin with, nobody can argue that the acquisition of theoretical knowledge is very crucial, since this is the basis of practical training. In other words, students must have a good grasp of a subject before practising it in reality. Without basic knowledge, students may become unfamiliar with the subject, so they may run into difficulty when undergoing practical training. In addition, not all subjects can be taught by practical experiences, such as History or Mathematics.
However, it should be borne in mind that empirical research also plays a vital role in students' success at universities, as the ultimate aim of studying is to serve people's lives more and more efficiently. By way of illustration, job market always has a tendency to seek for people having more practical experience than those who only excel at theoretical knowledge. Besides, practical training is a very effective way to get useful experience that sometimes cannot be learnt from books. For example, students majoring in medicine must attend some practical training so that they can know more clearly about the real human body, thus leading to a slighter chance of making mistakes when they have to implement genuine operations in the future.
Taking everything into account, I strongly believe that both theoretical and empirical knowledge can bring about many great benefits. Therefore, it is important that universities should provide a well-balanced education attaching equal importance to both theory and practical training.
