Can You Be a Successful Distance Learner?
Distance Learning courses allow you to conveniently take accredited courses from home. The flexibility and convenience of Distance Learning provide busy persons the opportunity to fulfill their educational goals and needs with minimal interference with their work or family schedules. As a Distance Learning student you will find that you have greater control over the learning process and can customize your learning time in a way that best suits your specific schedule.
Warning:
Flexibility and convenience do not add up to easy courses and less work.
Many new distance learners are unaware of the amount of work and time involved to successfully complete a Distance Learning course. The distance format of learning is "student-centered" rather than "instructor-centered." It is your responsibility to process and learn from the information provided by your instructor. You will not have the face-to-face relationship with your instructor like the traditional campus student. Many times additional reading materials take the place of the face-to-face interaction of instructional activity.
Necessary Skills Required to Be a Successful Distance Learner:
How are your disciplinary and motivational skills? Distance Learning requires students to work independently without extensive interaction and prompting from the instructor. You must be able to stay on task and stick to a schedule. For some students it takes more discipline and motivation sitting alone at home than it is sitting in a classroom face-to-face with your instructor and classmates. If you have the tendency to procasiate, chances are you will not be a successful Distance Learning student. You must be disciplined enough to commit a substantial amount of time each week to your course work and stick to a schedule. You should expect to devote as much time to your Distance Learning course as you would if you were taking the course on campus.
How are your reading skills? Since you do not attend regular campus classes with your instructor, you may be required to do extra reading above and beyond that of the classroom.
How are your writing skills? Distance Learning requires a great deal of written communication, either when submitting homework or "talking" with other students and professors via e-mail.
How are your computer and keyboarding skills? Many distance courses require the use of a computer to receive classroom information and communicate with your instructor and classmates.
How are your organizational skills? Distance learners also must be able to organize their time and resources. It is important to plan and organize a study and course work schedule.
Still unsure whether Distance Learning is for you?
Take our skills assessment test to see if Distance Learning is for you
Technical Requirements for Distance Learning
How Ready Are You for Distance Learning?
Rate Yourself for Discipline and Motivation
Good Advice from a successful Distance Learning student:
"The best advice I could give would be to make sure you log into your online classes often to make sure you don't miss any updates from the professor. I have also found the discussion boards to be a great help, especially when you need a new perspective on a problem."
Branden Hamilton