Distance Learning

• Distance Learning pros and cons

• Prepared by Behzod Kuldashev

Distance learning is designed to provide educational opportunities to students who are unable to pursue on-site study. Written correspondence courses, online classes and other remote classroom delivery methods fall under the category of distance learning.

• Distance learning is designed to provide educational opportunities to students who are unable to pursue on-site study. Written correspondence courses, online classes and other remote classroom delivery methods fall under the category of distance learning.

There are some pros and cons of distance learning.

• There are some pros and cons of distance learning.

Convenience 

• Distance Learning Pros:

• Convenience 
• Flexibility
• Availability
• Cost 

• Accessibility 
• No Travel Expenses 
• No Interrupting Job/Career 

• Convenience — take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.
• Flexibility — with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan.
• Availability — distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.
• Cost — prices are often cheaper for online courses than traditional college and trade courses — with no housing or meals plans to worry about.

Accessibility — with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access.

• Accessibility — with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access.
• No Travel Expenses — you may never even have to leave your house to take an online course, and certainly there are no relocation costs.
• No Interrupting Job/Career — because distance learning courses are located in cyberspace and controlled by your pace, there is no need to quit your current job.

No Instructor Face Time 

• Distance Learning Cons:

• No Instructor Face Time 
• No Social Interaction 

• Requires New Skills/Technologies 
• Making Time 
• No Campus Atmosphere 

No Instructor Face Time — if your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

• No Instructor Face Time — if your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.
• No Social Interaction — while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or offline get-togethers.

Requires New Skills/Technologies — if you’re are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you.

• Requires New Skills/Technologies — if you’re are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you.
• Making Time — if you are one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes.
• No Campus Atmosphere — part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit — but you have none of that with distance-education courses.

• The needs of distance learners

• 1. Connect what you learn with previous knowledge and experience
• 2. Don’t skip online classes and submit your homework in time
• 3. Computer Skills
• 4. Available Resources