Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

4 Getting ready for online study 
experiment with delivering their assignments “over the Internet”. 
Tese students must have felt like pioneers investigating a new 
land and making fresh discoveries. 
A great deal has changed in the 22 years since I started teaching 
online. My son has grown up, and the world of online studying has 
changed dramatically. I am sure I have made many mistakes along 
the way, both as a father and an online educator. But one thing 
that has always been clear is my passion for fnding new things 
shared by my son and my students. It is this desire to experiment 
with anything new that is leading so many students towards on-
line studying. 
 
ONLINE LEARNING IS PERSONAL 
So many students have been enthusiastic about online learning 
because it gives them a sense of freedom and control that isn’t as 
obvious with traditional studying. Te students back in 1999 who 
were pioneering the use of online conferencing software realised 
that they could study when they wanted in the most suitable way 
for them. Tis is an essential aspect of online learning. It can be 
moulded to you and the way you want to study. 
Before online study – indeed even now with traditional courses – 
students had to attend the lectures when the timetable said so. 
Students on “ordinary” study programmes are forced to attend 
class according to the demands and requirements of the lecturer 
and the university. People studying the traditional way only get to 
do the work provided each week or when the lecturer decides to 
hand it out. 
When you study online, you get to choose when you watch the 
lectures. You decide what to study, often in which order you pre-
fer. You can personalise your studying in ways that are just not 
possible with traditional university courses. Indeed, the whole 
notion of “personalised learning” has been a dream of educators 
for many years. Over 60 years ago, the psychologist B.F. Skinner 

---