There are many different institutions, including The Open University as well as many local colleges and learning providers, offering courses on a home study or distance learning basis. These are increasingly making use of internet resources, becoming more sophisticated in the ranges and types of learning materials that can be accessed from home. If you’re interested in home study, there are several issues to be considered, as this type of study is very different to traditional learning in a college or university, and home study isn’t for everyone. The following issues can be perceived as pros or cons of distance learning, depending on your own situation, so it’s worth giving them some thought.
Finding a Place to Study
Distance learning is usually learning that doesn’t involve compulsory attendance at a college or learning centre. For some people, this means studying at home. The home environment can either be conducive or obstructive as far as learning is concerned. If you’re planning on doing some home study, it’s worth considering in advance where you’re going to be studying, when, and how you’re going to protect your space and time.
It may be easy to identify a room in your home and a time of day when you’re likely to get perfect peace and quiet. If not, it’s worth considering doing your studying somewhere else, like a library or reading room. For some people, traditional attendance at a college turns out to be the best way to study, as it’s guaranteed to be a place where you can focus on the topic at hand, in an environment in which the scene is already set for learning.
Finding the Motivation and Time to Study
Motivation is a huge factor in home study. If you’ve paid for a course upfront and it’s not time limited, no-one’s going to be chasing you up to hand in completed work or checking that you’re on track. If you fall by the wayside, the only consequence is likely to be that you’ve paid for something without getting the full benefit.
It’s worth asking yourself what you hope to gain from your course. Are you doing it for personal satisfaction, or hoping to gain a qualification to further your career? Whatever you hope to get from studying, it’s important to keep focused on this as you work through your course. Some people find this very easy to do, if the course is something they’ve wanted to do for a long time and is intrinsically interesting or fun. Others have to revisit their goals from time to time to stay motivated. For some people, only attending and getting the personal encouragement of peers and tutors will help to keep the momentum going.
Closely related to motivation is time management, particularly if you’re studying alongside a job. Planning helps a lot here; spend time identifying times in the week when you can realistically get some studying done. It’s also worth drawing up a calendar or diary system regarding your course; not all home study courses have fixed dates for submitting course work, for example, so you may need to create your own deadlines. Your learning provider should be able to give a guide of how long the course is expected to take, to help break it down into parts. If you know in advance that you’re not able to stick to a system that you’ve created, with no-one but yourself to know that you’re letting deadlines slip, it may be worth considering a more formal learning environment, such as an evening class.
Finding Your Personal Learning Style
There are many different ways of learning. Home study mainly involves reading and processing information on your own, although the internet is helping it become a lot more interactive with the advent of online tutorials, discussion boards and access to tutors via email. Some distance learning courses will also supply mixed learning materials, such as podcasts, DVDs of lectures and practical exercises to work through. It’s worth finding out which materials are offered on the course you’re interested in. At the end of the day, if you can’t picture yourself learning without attending lectures or classes, or doing practical exercises in a lab, distance learning may not be right for you.
Distance learning is a flexible option for many people, and is great if you’re a self-starter, able to work on your own and enjoy working through new information without having instant access to tutors. It normally involves personal investment, in the form of time, money and rearranging your usual routine to accommodate your studies so, if you’re thinking of taking up home study, it’s worth thinking through these issues before booking your place.
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