The online degree program by IIT Madras features an array of subjects that one can learn in the foundational course, diploma and degree level. However, there are various dimensions of advantages and disadvantages one could observe while studying English, which is one of the core subjects in the regular entry mode for the foundational level.

The primary advantages include:

• Ability to cope with the lectures at one’s own pace while managing other subjects / activities while pursuing this program. This amount of flexibility is beneficial for a lot of people, especially those who have plans of pursuing a number of activities simultaneously (work, studies, or even regular household work).
• Understanding the nuances by comprehensively learning from co-learners via interactions, resources provided by the faculty, live sessions and discussions in the forum.
• The core recorded lectures provide a clear understanding in a single shot, the learner rarely has to go back again and again to understand a notion.

Despite the aforementioned advantages, there are some disadvantages that I personally felt while doing the course. These include:

• Lack of the dynamics of a classroom, of interacting with the teacher while the initial lectures are going on. Even though the resources provided are ample for understanding the notions presented by the teachers, there is a rather alienated feeling about attending the lectures and sessions via the remote method
• Inconsistency in the discussion forum. I personally feel that the discussion forum threads could be a little bit more organized, even though the faculty has done a great job handling the threads, there is a lot of scope for improvement. One could be the technical method of composition, where you make topic based threads, which further has questions / sub threads from users, which one can go through with ease.

Despite the shortcomings, the subject itself holds a lot of significance in the context of data science and its related fields. From what I gathered so far, by attending the lectures and some extra seminars, a lot of complex problems in the domain of Natural Language Processing could perhaps be simplified or even executed efficiently if we understand the principles of the language, or even the language that was used to derive it (Latin). Furthermore, it builds the confidence of the individual, allowing them to interact with prospects and execute professional, as well as personal, obligations.