| Perhaps you’re a stay at home mom who
has no time to go to school, perhaps you’re a
retired male who doesn’t feel as though the
classroom atmosphere suits you, perhaps you’re a 20
year old who carries a full or part-time job and has no
time to attend college. How can YOU obtain a degree
without attending an actual classroom? Distance Learning.
Distance Learning comes in several forms- everything from
taking your class right on the computer with no
schoolbooks to ordering schoolbooks, having them mailed
to you, doing the work and mailing it to your professor. It seems that Distance Learning
is becoming more rampant these days; everyone from
retired males and females, moms and dads to students
right out of high school are choosing Distance Learning
as their best route to a degree- Why?
Many people don’t
have TIME to attend school; they’re so busy with
their children or families that attending a classroom
each day or once a week is nearly impossible. Or perhaps
they have a full time job and don’t care to head to
the classroom RIGHT after work- whatever the case may be,
Distance Learning can be done right from your living room
or your very own bedroom; most likely on a computer.
Some people detest the
classroom! I know of many different students that have
self esteem problems and would rather fail a class than
have to get up and give an oral report- Distance Learning
prevents this.
Distance Learning,
however, is NOT for everyone- but how do you know if
it’s for YOU? What are some of the skills that you
must accelerate at in order to prove successful when
taking Distance Learning?
The skill of
organization! Organization is such a huge part of
Distance Learning. You have no teacher or professor by
your side to help you, it’s all on your own. You
need to make sure you write down due dates in a place
where YOU will see them- you have no professor to remind
you when that 25 page term paper is due.
You have to be motivated
and you need to WANT the degree. As I said, there is no
professor to help you along on your journey. You may be
assigned a tutor or professor that you can communicate
with or e-mail for help, but it’s very different
than attending a classroom and walking up to that
professor for help and seeing them each and every day.
You need to realize that you need to have a lot of
motivation in order to succeed with Distance Learning- no
one is there to help and push you along but YOURSELF.
The final words:
Distance Learning is a great form of schooling that can
greatly benefit many of the people in the world who are
yearning for a college degree; Distance Learning,
however, is not for everyone- if you decide to take the
plunge and try it make sure that you’re motivated, a
non-procrastinator and you’re dedicated to getting
what you want.
Benefits of Distance
Learning
When considering all the benefits of Distance Learning,
don't overlook these:
Benefit #1 :
Flexibility
Flexible Location : Because you're not stuck in a
classroom, you can study where ever you have access to
materials -- at home, the beach, the library, even while
traveling!
Flexible Schedule : One
of the difficulties in traditional studies is scheduling
classes around work schedules, home life, child care, and
personal preferences (for example, some people don't do
well in early morning classes). Distance Learning allows
you to complete coursework during the time of day that
best suits YOU.
Benefit #2:
Convenience
Work at Your Own Pace : While there is generally a fixed
time within which you must complete a course (and
sometimes degree programs), you are not forced into a
regimented schedule that means you can only do coursework
from 2:00 - 3:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. With
distance learning, you are responsible for your
schedule... if you want to "attend" a taped
lecture at midnight, it's YOUR choice.
Benefit #3: Support
Educator Support : Distance Learning programs often have
EXCELLENT support from educators (be sure to consider
this factor when choosing a program) -- often, your
instructor is just an e-mail or phone call away.
Benefit #4: Budget Saving
Room, Board, Gas : With distance learning, you get to
learn from home (even if you live in a rural area), so
you have no additional room, board, or travel costs --
not even the gas associated with attending local
"night classes".
Benefit #5: Quantity
AND Quality
Rural Students Have A Choice : If you enjoy life outside
a large city, distance learning offers a wide range of
topics and degrees you may not find locally.
Additionally, distance learning allows you to CHOOSE the
standards for the school you wish to attend -- you're not
limited to what's within driving distance.
Urban Residents Also
Have A Choice : Even if you live in an area with numerous
educational facilities, they may not offer the degree
program or certification that interests you most -- with
distance learning, your choices are not determined by
geography.
Sources:
http://www.distancelearninginfo.com/benefits_of_distance_learning.html
http://ks.essortment.com/benefitsdistanc_rrmz.htm
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