Pros and Cons of Distant Learning

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Hannah Ervin

Institutions and students adopt distance learning for a strong reason. Universities gain by enrolling students and that by nothaving to construct housing and classrooms, and the learners and students gain by being able to have freedom to work from anywhere they want.

Distant Learning does provide some freedom to working students, but it also has certain Cons attached to it. Mentioned below are 5 pros and cons of Distance Learning.

Pros

  1. Convenience:You do not study on a college’s semester or annual schedule. You can access all your course material by having an active internet connection and a computer.
  2. No interruptions from Job or Career: As Distance learning classes are located in cyberspace and cloud storage, they can be easily controlled at your own pace. It is not imperative to even asks your employer for an absence or leave for school.

3    You devise your own working mechanism: The student sets his own pace, schedules and learning outcomes.  They can control the learning environment.

  1. Accessibility: When we talk about studying and taking up an online course, it is all about studying from “anywhere” you have computer access.
  2. No travelling expenses : For online courses, you can stay at home and take the course, and there are NO travelling, lodging and boarding costs attached.

DISTANCE LEARNING 1

Cons

  1. Instructors are not there: You might not get the personal attention that you crave for from a teacher. If you are such a person, then online education is definitely not for you.
  2. No social interaction and live problem solving: Although you do interact with your fellow students via e-mails, discussion groups or chat room, but there are no physical get-together.
  3. Little support: Surprisingly, students are expected to search for their own resources and materials for completing their exams and assignments.
  4. It is ‘Vital’ to adapt to New skills and Technologies: If you are an industrial worker or someone who has never used a computer before, adapting to new technology and submitting assignments online have the full potential to baffle you.
  5. Procrastination?  If you think you procrastinate a lot, and you always need an extra push to complete the given task within the given schedule or deadline; Distance learning is not a viable option for you.

The two activities of distant learning and distant teaching together make up distant education. It is also referred as e-learning with internet as the primary medium for imparting knowledge. Distance learning can be a blessing and a curse. It all depends on the student’s background and priorities.

In the 21st century more and more degree-granting institutions of higher education are offering distance education courses primarily through the internet. There are an estimated 100,000 online courses that are available for the students. Interaction is a must when we talk about distance education, as it is the case with any education. The internet has become widely accepted and used. Email has also contributed immensely to distance learning. People living in remote areas with no higher education institutes can benefit highly from E-Learning.

 

This article is written by Hannah Ervin, a passionate writer, researcher and an infotainment specialist. Currently she is associated with Assignment Hub, a writing firm which specializes in helping students in assignments and academia.

 

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