A smile came to my face recently while doing research on a short article about online degrees. Like many people who write articles, I occasionally generate new ideas by reviewing PLR (Private Label Rights) articles Ive either collected or paid for over the years. I just had to laugh when one such article announced the impending demise of the "real" brick-and-mortar university in no uncertain, albeit comical terms. Imagine, opined the incredulous author, that some people actually still play solitaire with a real deck of cards!
Although factors like convenience and flexibility have made distance learning enormously popular, the truth is that completing an online degree isnt necessarily easy. To be successful, distance learners need better than average command of basic computer skills. While copy-and-paste, a good working knowledge of a word processor and knowing how to access the Internet are easily learned abilities, other tools in the skill set arent so easy to pick up.
Here's a list of three key points to consider:
1. Topping the list is discipline. Because distance learning is at its core an isolated undertaking, some students aren't able to stay on task without the benefit of one-on-one interaction with instructors and their fellow students. Many distance learners let assignments slide because theres no real deadline or pressure from an instructor to hand in an assignment on time. This is especially true for working adults or learn-at-home moms who have to integrate online learning with the pressures of a job or the needs of their children and families.
2. Discipline is good, but discipline and organizational ability are better. Organizational skills are also very important because distance learners typically hold a job or attend to the needs of a family at the same time theyre studying for a diploma. Theres too little time for distance learners to pull an all-nighter before a paper is due or before final exams. Therefore, distance learners have to have the skills to organize their other activities in order to leave time for projects and class preparation.
3. Even students who can find the self-control and organizational skills to master the online learning environment may still not have the learning style that best fits the distance learning environment. Distance learning relies heavily on visual and auditory materials, either in the form of reading assigments or audio and video-based instruction. If you need to learn by doing, that is, by examining or even building something, chances are you may have difficulty with distance learning.
You can find out more about your online learning aptitude by completing one of several online tests that help nail down your own learning style. Try searching Google, MSN or Yahoo for "learning styles" or "online learning styles" and you should find several different tests. These tests are all simple to complete and afterwards youll have a much better idea of how well suited you may be for distance learning. Well-known online universities also have counsellors and advisors to help you evaluate your likelihood of successfully completing an online degree.
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