Distance Learning Advantages and Disadvantages

October 18, 2022

Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning

Distance education is that concept which has become quite popular over the past few years. These programs have been helping many students who aren't able to attend the campus-based or full-time courses to realize their educational aspirations. With distance education, learning instruction is given through the internet mode. These video conferencing software offer robust tools which help the students to take the lessons which are being delivered by the instructors. By this method, the instructor can deliver lessons all over the world. But just like everything, the distance learning programme also comes up with a lot of pros and cons.

Distance learning might be the best choice for someone and might not be the best for others to pursue a college degree or university program. Therefore, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning programs is very important.

Advantages of Distance Learning

1. Greater Flexibility- The students can pursue and can complete the courses they want that too from anywhere with the help of computer and the internet connection. Mostly those who are working enrolls for the distance learning programmes. This programme allows these students to find a convenient time to study and work together. The students can study anytime, after work, in the middle of night or may be during the weekends. Also, the learning materials and the instructions can be obtained online anytime from quality educational platforms like Studocu. With such a comprehensive platform, students can get notes from almost any subject. By this the working person can learn and earn together according to their flexibility of time

2. No Commuting- The distance learning programme takes place online, therefore no need to commute to the allotted venues. The students can take the assignments and lessons according to their comfort zones. Most of the institutions which offer the distance learning programs provide tutorials and lectures through the online mode. Which means that the students can get the relevant materials to study from the respective homes.

3. Cost Saving- It has been noticed that the online education programs are generally lower than that of the classroom based program. Also, it eliminates the additional costs like commuting, renting, and getting meal plans. Which means that distance learning is basically viable for students as well as parents. Along with a convenience of pursuing a course from home, the students will have a perfect opportunity to save more on their studies.

4. Convenient Learning- Going back to the classroom after work is quite difficult, and for most of the working-class students, going back to the classroom is rather intimidating. Also, asking about the hard questions or concepts might be embarrassing for some students. The disciplined and self-motivated students can learn at their own speed and convenience. Therefore, learners with different abilities can understand the course in detail and whenever they want.

Disadvantages of Distance Learning

1. Lack of Social Interaction- Learning with other students is indeed a great opportunity to meet and interact with the people from different locations on a personal level. Distance learning limits students to classes and only learning materials that are based online. Nodoubt students can interact through chat rooms, discussion boards, emails and/or video conferencing software, the experience cannot be compared to that of a traditional campus.

2. High Chances of Distraction- Although, when there is no face-to-face interaction with the other students or instructors in the online distance learning programme. Therefore, it might be hard to keep a track of the coursework and assignments. This is because there are no constant reminders about the pending assignments or deadlines. Hence distance learning cannot be a good option for students who keep procrastinating things or those who aren't able to stick to deadlines.

3. Complicated Technology- A wide range of equipment and high understanding of technology is very important. For online learning programs equipment like computers, webcam, and stable internet are very important. Also, there is absolutely no physical contact between students and instructors as instruction is delivered over the internet. This overdependence on the technology is a drawback to distance learning. In case of any software or hardware malfunction, the class session will come to a standstill, which is something that can interrupt the learning process. Moreover, the complicated nature of the technology used in distance learning mostly only limits online education to students who are computer and tech savvy.

4. Questionable credibility of Online Degrees- Distance learning is still not the best option for many due to lack of many facilities. Sometimes it becomes difficult to teach online as the environment does not suit well. The design and the delivery of the courses differs. Sometimes the instructor might find little time to talk about trivial details of a given topic, which are otherwise important to helping students understand a given concept. That, plus a host of other challenges like lack of proper assessment make credibility of distance learning degrees questionable. Also, some of the employers might not accept the online degrees as they still find stigma attached to the distance education. That means students have to evaluate whether or not their online degrees can be ideal for the target job or future learning. That is why many students get discouraged to take up the distance learning program even when the degree being offered is genuine and competitive in the market.

Conclusion:

There are no doubt a large number of drawbacks but distance learning still provides better learning options for students wishing to enjoy greater convenience and flexibility in pursuing a course. The biggest benefit of distance education is that it allows access to the largest number of learning tools without spending an extra penny. Studying online is even made more interactive with the use of video conferencing software, which improves the ability to acquire and retain knowledge on a given subject. Any student wishing to enroll for a distance learning diploma or degree should weigh between its pros and cons to determine whether or not it's a good option. Generally, distance education can be the perfect option for working students.

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