Distance Education Relevance

Long Distance Learning

The idea of online education was unheard of in the past. Now, a significant number of students are using of this type of education to higher education degrees. It is accessible, hassle-free, and flexible.

Convenient to say the least because it enables you study your lessons while cooking your early morning breakfast perhaps, and at your own pace at times. The benefits of availing for that distance education is that you could do two or three things all at the same time while being educated online.

That is the concept Distance Learning System (DLSI) wanted to perpetuate. The flexibility of giving their students enough time to do other things while studying under their care is unique and cost-efficient.

DLSI is considered to be America’s foremost educational publishing firm, and has expanded its services to provide learning programs and study modules for students and professionals alike. With their mission of providing convenient access to higher education, DLSI has, in itself, given distance learning the necessary boost since they have the highest national passing rate in the country with 97%.

Their online video classrooms are easy to understand with lively and structured discussions for you to have, thus, embracing the idea that you could be educated at a distance and in the shortest possible time.

DLSI provides real instructors, recorded video class session in case you miss the scheduled live class, personal coaches, and course materials to compliment the lessons provided online. Many other companies are considered by their clients as “a box of books.” And once you have your books, that is the end of the relationship with you. That is not the case with DLSI – we stay with you until your entire course work is complete.

Distance education is growing in numbers. So why suffer yourself with the prospect of getting that degree inside that conventional classroom? You can always have that career you’ve always wanted through DLSI’s distance education.

Correspondence and Distance Education Differences

Nowadays, distance education is much popularly known as online education because of its use of the Internet as an instructional delivery model. And while correspondence education is part of distance education, they have differences in delivery methods, academic rigor, and convenience and flexibility factors.

Correspondence education was first developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States to make education available to those who do not have access to a university. The course materials in correspondence education are given to the learner via mail or electronic means. Meanwhile, distance education takes advantage of the fast Internet technology in delivering instructional materials. It typically uses emails and live chats, as well as audio or video recording.

Distance education is far more rigorous compared to the traditional correspondence education. That is because it offers a more interactive environment. The teacher and the student, even student-to-student, despite being in different locations, can have a quasi-face-to-face environment that enhances the academic rigor. Traditional correspondence education, on the other hand, is done through mail delivery that fails to offer any type of interaction among students, all the more student-to-teacher interaction. In other words, correspondence education is static while online education is fluid and dynamic.

As for convenience and flexibility, both distance education and correspondence education offer a good autonomy to learners. The difference is that one has limited freedom while the other has too much of it. Online education, although flexible, still has deadlines for posting reactions on discussion boards which makes it not as flexible as correspondence education that has a “hands off” approach. There is a downside to too much freedom in correspondence education though. It may not be a good thing to all learners as it requires self-motivation and self-discipline.

Distance Learning in the 21st Century

The emergence of the knowledge economy had a powerful effect on business and education and studying. First, technology greatly affected training, educating, studying and handling practices. Companies were able to eliminate middle managers whose primary function was sending information between the top management and front line workers. Companies went “flat,” when leading supervisors could directly connect with front line workers using information technology innovation. Also, workers who were directly engaged in production or providing services were included in “quality circles” to share the pressure of handling the company with the managing class. This “downsizing” or “rightsizing” of the company also removed the stand up instructor in many organizations. Training could be placed on the World Wide Web, without the need for an instructor or company to present such details to students. Further, workers could access instruction at their convenience thus reducing time they would spend away from their projects in training, at times hundreds of kilometers away from their work stations. This way of training, known as distance learning, was developed in the organization separate of the theoretical and practical improvements in distance education in European countries and the United States. Concept and practice of online studying in educational surroundings strongly prescribed connections with an instructor and highlighted its importance. Nevertheless, the telecom and computer nexus allowed some businesses to incorporate training with working, giving rise to new ideas, such as, just-in-time training. This was obtained in certain cases through the creation of performance support systems, which directly allowed workers to link studying to projects at hand.

Today distance education is successful among home school students, K-12 educational institutions and universities, many of which require synchronous or asynchronous connections with an instructor while depending on instruction on the Web. Distance education, however has grown extremely in organizations and government organizations, including the army, where there is little or no interaction with an instructor.

While the number of those who are engaged in various forms of distance learning may pale in comparison to those who are studying in traditional ways, the important aspect is the steady rate at which distance students are increasing. If current trends continue, it will be just a matter of time for online studying to become the prominent way of studying and educating.

What Makes Distance Learning Unique

Distance learning is a method which provides tremendous advantage, not only to the student’s population but also to the community as a whole. When a student goes to a university, they get a regular degree. The degree becomes more appropriate to the society along with being appropriate to the student. Distance learning offers programs in non-traditional places. So, it is wrong to say that it is a leftover school for students who do not get entrance in a university.

What makes distance learning different from a physical university? There are three elements that make distance learning vary from any other studying, i.e. self-learning print content. This is further reinforced by audio-video packages delivered through teleconferencing, internet classrooms and counseling. Students appear in on the internet degree programs with different levels of capabilities, but success in college needs many different abilities. In addition to the fundamentals, such as numeracy and literacy, certain soft abilities associated with teamwork, such as flexibility and group interaction, are critical to on the internet college student success. Online learners must also master specialized abilities, such as using computer systems and Internet systems, to function successfully in school. The most frequently mentioned single reason for college student drop-out—both online and at brick-and-mortar schools is profession indecision. Guaranteeing learners have a clear education plan that suits their profession objectives should be an institutional priority.

Numerous internet resources are available to help students choose an educational field that suits their strong points and profession objectives. One specific profession choice system that schools implemented is the Idea Generator. This system offers a short internet test that links learners to a profession area entered to their passions and strong points.

Distance education has gradually appeared as one of the most well-known ways to obtain information, with learners being able to access a versatile education and training that allows them to manage work and research. Distance education is a program that shows that education and training has no limitations and therefore no issue where we are, getting information is now more available globally. Distance education and studying is one of the recommended study methods these days. The fact that learners can learn from their home, as well as take their examinations through a number of online tasks and projects, is in itself so amazing. Gone are the days when one had to go to college to engage in a research subject, now studying is possible and only a few mouse clicks away.

It is a great way for the working experts to discover new places of research by applying on an online course. There are no set periods or schedules for an online course and you can choose your study periods according to your own routine and obligations. This way, not only will you be able to obtain additional information, but can also take a leap ahead and go up the achievements steps.

Because distance education is recognized as an extremely efficient method of training, academic researchers have analyzed the reasons and circumstances for which online learning is most effective. Commonly requested questions group in five areas:

Is technology-assisted, distant teaching as efficient as traditional face-to-face teaching?

What aspects determine the most beneficial mix of technological innovation in a given distance education situation?

What are the characteristics of efficient distance learners and teachers?

How important is teacher-student and student-student connections in the online learning process and in what form(s) can this connections most successfully take place?

What cost factors should be considered when planning or applying online learning programs and how are those costs balanced out by benefits to the learner?