The Distance Learning Route to a Degree

Lots of people would appreciate an opportunity to improve their qualifications, but find it difficult to attend a course due to work arrangements, family committments, physical location or various other reasons. For many of them, the ideal solution may be to undertake a course via Distance Learning.

Modern Distance Learning courses are normally delivered online, making use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which allows students to interact with their classmates and their tutor, as well as downloading learning material and uploading completed coursework or sitting online exams.However, there’s still a place for paper-based courses, sometimes referred to as correspondence courses. Many institutions continue to make this kind of course available, especially to students who have limited access to Internet facilities.

Distance learning gives the learner control of as many factors as possible. Learners can choose where and when they will study and the rate at which they will progress, what topics they want to study next and when they want to be assessed, or even if they want to be assessed at all. Distance Learning is a specific form of Open Learning. With Distance Learning there is little or no need for the learner to visit the institution offering the course, which may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Some learners find that a course which gives them complete control over all the options is too much to cope with: there’s always something interesting on TV, a dog needing walked, a garden needing dug or some other pressing task. Most Distance Learning systems support students by assigning them to a tutor who can advise them about various aspects of the course and how best to tackle it. But many decisions, especially the time and place of study, are still left up to the learner.

It’s worthwhile to think about your reasons for considering a distance learning course. Perhaps your work or family commitments prevent you from attending a normal college course, during the day or in the evenings. Or it may be that there is no conventional course available in your own area. Whatever your reasons for wanting to do a Distance Learning course, you should find it an interesting and rewarding experience.

Distance Learning has a number of advantages over conventional courses. You can choose where and when to study: on the train going to work, the half hour between finishing the housework and the kids getting in from school, while your partner is watching a dreadful Australian soap opera or another boring football match – you’ll be surprised how many occasions crop up when it’s possible to do a bit of studying without curtailing your social life.

Distance Learning courses are an ideal way of meeting the needs of overseas students. They provide an opportunity to acquire a UK qualification by studying in their home country, avoiding the costs of travel to the UK and the expense of living away there. An overseas student can enjoy the benefits of studying for an HND in their own country, then coming to the UK for the final year of a degree programme. Successful completion of the HND demonstrates a commitment to study and enhances their credibility as a student – both factors can be highly significant when it comes to obtaining a visa.

With Distance Learning programmes you can choose how to learn: you can try out different methods and practice to your heart’s content in total privacy – there’s no one to see your mistakes. (You can always go and find someone to tell about your successes!) You can also choose from a wide range of materials: most open learning texts are written by experts in the field, often with many years of teaching experience. They are written in such a fashion that they can be used on their own, without immediate assistance at hand, and they have plenty of activities to keep you interested and stop you from becoming bored.