Distance Education - The Solution has arrived

Distance Education
The Solution Has Arrived

Today's busy Shedules mean that many people do not physically have the time to take up full-time, or even part-time education - workload, lifestyle or commitments simply don't allow for it. However, the new influx of distance learning programs means that now even the busiest of people can have interactive access to courses worldwide from the comfort of their own home.

Beth anxiously glanced at her watch as she hurried to finish the day's filing. In just a few minutes, she would leave the office where she works as a legal secretary, pick up her children, grab a fats food meal, get the evening babysitter, settle everyone in at home, and then drive 30 minutes to the local college where she takes night classes to earn a bachelor's degree into a paralegal position would be a great career move for Beth, but this hectic schedule was really creating a stressful lifestyle for both her and her family.

Jeff stared outside at the blowing snow drifting across his driveway. Another class missed, he thought with frustration. Jeff was working on his MBA at a university in a nearby city. Unfortunately, getting to class this winter was not an easy task. Jeff had really been looking forward to tonight's discussion, too. He enjoyed interacting with his classmates and learning from their experiences. Jeff thought about all the class sessions he has missed. He wondered how he could ever succeed in earning an MBA, when he couldn't even succeed at getting to class.

Melissa and Steve spent hours looking at next semesters class schedule. But, as hard as they tried, they could not find enough classes to complete their schedules. Both of them worked twenty hours per week to pay for living expenses during college. Everything they looked at conflicted with their work hours. Neither Melissa nor Steve knew what they would do if they could not remain full-time students. Neither one could afford to quit work, but without a full class load, they would not qualify for necessary financial assistance.

Ahmed lives in Malaysia, where he works with a variety of U.S. firms marketing his company's products. Ahmed has a good position, but to really advance in his company, he would need to learn about American Business practices. As much as Ahmed would like to further his education, he does not want to leave his family to attend college in the United States. Ahmed wonders how he could advance his career for the benefit of himself and his family without leaving his home country.

Do these dilemmas sound familiar? Today, there is an effective solution that allows Beth, Jeff Melissa, Steve and Ahmed to achieve their educational goals. That solution is Distance Education seems to be the buzz word for the late 1990's, what exactly is it, and how can it be used to facilitate the learning process?

Distance Education comes in a variety of formats: correspondence courses, telecourses, interactive television, and web-based instruction.

Correspondence courses have been an education option for many years. Students receive course information via mail, complete assignments at their own pace, and then mail the assignments back to the instructor. Correspondence courses offer flexibility to students in scheduling their coursework. However, a student may feel as if he or she is taking the class in isolation.

Many correspondence courses do not provide interaction between the instructor and the student, other than times when assignments are graded and returned to the student. Students also do not have the opportunity to be in the community with other students, which can greatly enhance the learning experience.

Telecourses involve viewing videotaped lectures. Exams are either proctored or administered in a take-home format. As with correspondence courses, telecourses offer flexibility to the student. In addition, students view video presentations that assist in explaining the written material. However, as with correspondence courses, telecourses and student / student interaction, which may cause student to feel isolated.

Interactive television is a relatively new option that allows students in geographically distant classrooms to participate in the same class with one instructor. Because students and the instructor can see and hear each other via interactive television, this format allows much of the interaction that is available in a traditional classroom. However, because students must attend class at a specified time and location, this medium lacks the flexibility offered by other distance learning options.

Web-based instruction allows students to participate in courses over the Internet. This recently developed course delivery system provides a viable solution to many scheduling dilemmas. With web-based instruction, students can access their course from any computer with Internet conductivity at any time of the day or night. Assignments are submitted by email or via special Internet programs designed for web-based instruction. Students can interact with their on-line classmates through synchronous or asynchronous discussions. During synchronous discussions, students interact with instructors and other students during a designated time period. It's basically a chat room with access limited to course participants. Asynchronous discussion is similar to a bulletin board, where students post their comments and their responses to other student's comments. The result is a 'threaded' discussion that evolves as students think about the topic of discussion. Students can receive assistance by simply sending off a quick email or calling their instructor.

The solution has arrived! Distance education can solve the dilemmas of Beth, Jeff, Melissa, Steve, and Ahmed. Traditional forms of education will continue to exist, but distance-learning options that meet the needs of fast-paced lifestyles are becoming more popular every day. Quality distance education courses, especially those offered in a web-based format, give students an excellent education option, with the benefit of flexibility.

When searching for a web-based course, be sure to look for the following features: