Showing posts with label Distance Learning Course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Distance Learning Course. Show all posts

October 22, 2009

Distance Learning Can Really be rewarding As A Regular Course

Distance Learning Course : Distance Learning Can Really be rewarding As A Regular Course by Richard Johnson

The concept of correspondence education was prevalent in the late 19th century. Education took place by sending and receiving paper through regular mail due to the development of postal service. There was literally no other channel of communication. After the Second World War, the lifestyles of the common people changed drastically. Off-campus courses came into existence in the U.S.A in the early 50's. Today, with the advent of the internet, the world of education has changed dramatically. Two-way interaction became possible with the help of internet. Lectures are now being delivered in the form of video on the net.

Distance learning is a mode of education which is more popular than ever today, reason: convenience and flexibility. In Distance learning, the student does not have to travel to the campus to attend classes on a daily basis. It is specially aimed at those people who are unable to attend campus for the classes. It increases the accessibility and broadens the area of study. The learning material can be exchanged between the learner and the teacher through regular correspondence and/or via net.

Hundreds of colleges, universities and institutions all over the world are offering countless Distance learning courses these days. Degree courses as well as vocational courses and professional courses are all available to students. These courses are especially popular among youngsters who can continue to study while working full-time to earn. This type of learning helps them to fulfill their career objectives at the same time gaining experience. With this mode, students get to study at their own pace, saving a lot of time that could have otherwise gone into waste for travelling to the campus and a lot of money that could have otherwise gone into waste for miscellaneous expenses to stay in the campus. Sometimes students of this particular mode of study do better than regular students who attend classes at the campus everyday.

The United Kingdom has developed and expanded their education system, offering innumerable courses to cater to different sections of students. Even professional courses like business, media, engineering, law etc. are being taught through UK distance learning. If you want to study in this mode, you have to develop yourself into a self-organized student. This mode has proven to be a blessing for thousands of students worldwide who could not have otherwise came to the UK for studying their much sought after British degrees. These are prestigious credentials that the students from all over the world want to achieve. Many courses offer an extensive range of materials including videos, computer disks, audio tapes and annotated texts while some colleges have opened up internet-based classes. But there is one criterion that is just indispensable if you want to achieve your desired degree through this mode of learning, which is self-discipline. Since, the onus of completing the course and getting the degree to advance your qualification or job mobility, you need to be self-disciplined to the core.

Before you get yourself enrolled in a college/institute/university that offers these kind of study programs, check a few things like whether or not the degree is recognized by a government body, the course content and structure, the assessment process, and most importantly, financial assistance. Once you get all these things clear, you can start with your dream lessons.

About the Author
I am an educationist and self published author. I believes that distance learning courses are no way different than traditional courses. For more information on distance learning, UK distance learning, online education, and online university I recommends you to visit: http://www.RDI.co.uk

Source: Distance Learning Programs, Distance Learning Online Degree, Distance Education Course Online articles at goarticles.com

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October 16, 2009

Distance learning and blended education: The future course

Distance Learning Course : Distance learning and blended education: The future course by Frank Johnson

The world is a more objective oriented environment these days. With the concepts of institutional learning and the definition of the term 'traditional student' changing all the time, so is the approach towards how educational instruction and training can be delivered in such a way as to make the learning process as individualized and effective, with a deeper emphasis on direct-individual attention and the accommodation of more students with specific responsibilities and needs which would render them unable to pursue classroom based learning.

The modern student
Today's new generation of students is no longer limited to fresh high-school graduates. Indeed, most of the students entering higher education are much more mature (the average age is 24) and come from more diverse backgrounds than ever before. Many students (80%) are proficient in the use of computer programs and the internet by the time they reach senior high, with many reporting that they had used some form of social media or other information sharing website, while almost all report the use of internet search engines to help research (and sometimes copy) homework assignments. The presence of MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have changed the way the younger generation (of school, university or professional learners) interacts with each other and with static or dynamic information - using the web. Today, online customization allows you to mould yourself an environment of your own in cyberspace, connecting with those people and that information (news, sports, opera... anything) which you wish to connect to only; so why not try to apply the same principles to learning? The concept of distance and online learning is becoming a new way of life, and probably the future, for modern education.

Blended learning based on the web
Blended education is a type of education in which a large percentage of traditional classroom learning is replaced with web-based learning models (like online classrooms or automated teaching and testing systems), while face-to-face interaction is limited to those cases where such interaction is necessary.

Factors related to blended learning:
Blended education thus involves the replacement of 25-75 percent of classroom time with web based teaching. The mix actually depends upon the nature and type of the course, preferred teaching techniques, the instructor's experience level and the nature and type of students involved in the course or program. The most important component in any blended course is the quality and availability of online knowledge resources made accessible to students; such resources include a digital online library (many are already in use all over the world even for traditional campus-based courses), repository of lecture slides and online information links available for free use - there are already several commercial and open-source (free) e-learning management systems in use throughout the world which allow institutions to often place an entire curriculum online for students to access as they wish. Already, at least half of the courses offered at traditional institutions involve the use of some online resources as well as web-based communication.

Another major factor in today's blended environment is the use of online forums, limited access e-mail and online discussion groups - various systems (blogs, chat rooms and e-mail) - which help students engage in interactive study without the need to be present in the same classroom; the comfort level of modern students with this type of online interaction environment allows students to potentially learn much more (especially with the internet and Google at their command) than they would in a traditional setting.

References:
WikipediaHigher Education, Blended Learning and the Generations: tlc[dot]ucalgary[dot]ca/documents/chuck.doc
Resource Area:

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.
Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.
Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

About the Author
Frank Johnson is a staff writer for SchoolsGalore.com. Find online schools, online colleges, universities, vocational schools and a lot more distance learning schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

Source: Distance Learning Program, Distance Education Online, Distance Learning Course article at goarticles.com

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October 13, 2009

Distance Learning is not Your Dad's Correspondence Course by Kaila West

Distance Learning Course : Distance Learning is not Your Dad's Correspondence Course by Kaila West

Distance learning, it seems to be a catch phrase we hear a lot today but what is it exactly? There are certain stereotypes that need to be overcome, but what is called distance learning today is not what might have been considered distance learning in the past. The quality has greatly improved and collegiate level educations are available for anyone who can get access to the Internet.

Correspondence courses may be what readily comes to someone's mind when they hear any discussion about distance learning. Images of Ben and Jerry of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream may come to mind. Two hippies taking the easiest course they could find in an attempt to start a business. Now, do not think for a moment Ben and Jerry did not make the right move or that they are geniuses because of the ice cream empire they created. They did alright for themselves. It is that concept of "easy" that needs to be addressed. Correspondence courses where, generally, viewed to be easy by most folks. Whether this is the truth or not is dependent on the courses and the teaching institution. Like collegiate classes, there some which are very easy to pass while others that are immensely difficult. Ultimately, the question was whether the consumer was happy and they learned something.

That's where most correspondence courses left off. Most of their degrees, unfortunately, were not honored by established institutions and their credits weren't transferable. This made it difficult for the student to progress further in their education - the possibility of having to start all over again or taking remedial classes was a real possibility. Hardly a good situation if you are trying to save a little money but get a good education.

Distance learning today is not the correspondence course of the years past. The Internet has provided a quick and reliable way to overcome the weaknesses of the correspondence class of old and a way to earn online degrees that are respected. Communication is greatly facilitated. Not only can one easily communicate with their professor or instructor, they can discuss things with the other students taking the class. Where the correspondence course student was stuck in a socially sparse landscape, today's distance learning student can experience collegiate level conversations with their fellow students.

Another advantage of Internet-based learning is that there is a great degree of flexibility involved. Suppose one wants to continue their education but they need to continue working their regular job? The possibility of viewing that day's class on line after they got home is there. There may not be a traditional class structure with the course, and the very semester-based time frame for the class may be totally abandoned so that the student can take as little or as much time as they need to complete the material. Do not think that there is a reduction in responsibilities though. There are still assignments, term papers, and the like. Finally, one can really customize their education by picking and choosing classes from multiple institutions from different countries! Such a degree of flexibility used to be unheard of but is now possible via the Internet.

There is an interesting move made by the distance learning community that is worth mentioning. Several prestigious institutions have embraced the free and open sourced movement and it is now possible to view their classes on-line for free! Granted, there are limitations with this model. Most classes are several years old, you can not communicate with the instructor, and you still would need to get their course materials. However, if one was interested in getting involved with distance learning, this might be a way to get your feet wet before diving right in.

Distance learning is now a great way for people, regardless of the location, job, or other factors to get the education they want for themselves. Technology has brought us a long way and, as it continues to improve, Internet-based learning will improve as well.

About the Author
Kaila West is a writer on a variety of topics, including distance learning. If you must go to school while working, online learning is a great option. Visit Study2U.com for more information.

Source: Distance learning program, distance education online, online course education articles at goarticles.com