Should colleges switch to online work submissions? And Why?

In the days where we see robots doing half the things we do, and that too in a better manner, one would wonder why are there many things that aren't upgraded to "computer-based" tasks yet.

For instance, filling a form, like an application form for a college to begin with. Now, if you were to stand in a long queue for ages to get your hands on one, and then had your mind telling you "Don't make a mistake" repeatedly; what is the most likely thing to happen? You make not one, but many mistakes! Scratching here and there, panicking, wondering if the application will be rejected or accepted; is what you'd end up with after filling up and having a messy form to be submitted. If its your unlucky day, you might be asked to resubmit, filling in the details all over again! (Count the fight you have to put up if you tried to squeeze in the queue or if there were no more applications left to be given for the day!) This is a very old and unreliable way of submitting forms. What if these forms were available online?

Consider semi-online procedures that asked you to download the PDF (or other unknown form of file) and then fill it manually and upload it again. Then you will either have to own a printer and scanner or go all the way to a cybercafé where this can be done. This isn't all fun either. What if this was completely an online job with printing, filling, scanning and then uploading removed from the task list?

Clearly, off-line tasks are always error-prone and are not very efficient. It isn't just restricted to filling forms. Consider a paperwork on a seminar topic that needs to be given by the students to their lecturers. Generally, the trend that most colleges follow is, expecting a student to type all the data and to hand over the printed paper to the lecturer in person.

Should colleges switch to online work submissions?

This old form of writing and submitting documents is time consuming and isn't efficient in any manner. Every letter has to be written carefully. If there is a lengthy word that has to be mentioned in multiple places, then it has to written over and over again. After submission of the documents (forms, papers, project reports etc), if the lecturer disagrees with a point or two or a whole paragraph, imagine editing it again and printing it and then submitting it for another round of review!

These are enough reasons why the colleges must switch to online submission. Not to forget how easy the process of submission gets when things are done online. The errors can be easily undone, large sentences can be copied and pasted at different potions of the text as and when needed, data can be inserted or removed at will, it will be faster to submit online as compared to going all the way to the counter or the concerned person, and waiting for the turn to arrive.

Online submission can be done at anytime and from anywhere.

If a college wishes to close submission time, well, even that can be set accordingly ! (What are all the fancy computer codes for?!) Submission of documents online is fast, effective and efficient.

While graduating from colleges and institutions, the students learn technology, hence it makes sense to use technology in real time as well! Online submission of work saves time and energy and it is way too advantageous to be ignored!