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Getting
Flexible with
Distance
Learning
For
many people around the world, getting a prestigious
qualification that is internationally respected is
the key to getting on in life. Whether it’s the
first step up the career ladder or a stepping-stone
to further study, a qualification from another country
can stand you in very good stead. But for some people,
travelling abroad to study is just not a feasible
option.
 There
are many things to contend with when studying abroad.
There’s a heavy financial commitment, covering
everything from course fees and travel costs to accommodation
and living expenses. There are also the difficulties
of learning and studying in an unfamiliar culture and
perhaps even in an unfamiliar language, without all
the immediate support from friends and family that would
ease the situation if you were at home. And of course
there is inevitably some homesickness. If these factors
are a problem for you, does that mean you have to put
all thoughts of an international qualification out of
your head?
Of course not. There is a way round the many problems
of studying abroad that is becoming an increasingly
popular option for many people – distance learning.
More and more universities and colleges around the world
are now making their courses available by this route
and people are flocking to take advantage of this new
flexible approach.
 Distance
learning is a term that covers many different types
of learning, but the important distinguishing factor
is that you do the majority, or all, of the studying
in your own country, regardless of where the institution
is based. This is of huge benefit to people who want
the qualifications but can’t or prefer not to study
so far away from home, and it opens the doors to many
people who would ordinarily be put off.
Courses themselves vary from institution to institution,
and from department to department. For example, one
distance learning course may send you the materials
and the details of your personal tutor but require you
to travel to the institution for examinations. Another
course may require you to attend week-long residentials.
Others may allow you to take the exams in your own country,
for example through the British Council. This means
that you can mix and match the elements that you need,
and more or less guarantee that you will find a course
somewhere that is just right for what you want. For
example, the University of London offers 19 different
degree programmes entirely by distance learning, from
French to Finance, and it has exam centres all over
the world.
 Flexibility
is the defining feature of distance learning, and it
doesn’t stop with the types of course. The study
itself is also very flexible because you don’t
have to attend set classes at set times. This means
that you can choose when to study, doing as much or
as little as you have the time for and fit it in around
your other family or work commitments. Students can
also choose where to study – at home, in the library,
on the train, in the park, wherever you can sit and
concentrate on your work.
As with every other aspect of life technology is taking
over education, and distance learning is reaping the
benefits. The advantages of being able to e-mail your
tutor are obvious – instant delivery and quicker
response to your queries. The internet has also become
an increasingly popular way to source information on
distance learning opportunities. There is a variety
of sites that provide general details of institutions
and courses, and most institutions also have their own
websites up and running.
The internet’s involvement in distance learning
isn’t just limited to search engines, however.
There is a growing trend for institutions to offer all
sorts of other services linked to the technology that
the internet can offer. On-line courses are popping
up in institutions all over the world, meaning that
as long as you have access to a PC you can tap into
the resources posted on the course website and work
through them at your own pace as you would a paper-based
distance learning course. There are many advantages
to this approach, not least of which are the opportunities
for real-time lectures and student chat rooms, which
will make the whole learning experience much more interactive.
 What
all this means is that you have more options than ever
before, and distance learning really can offer something
for everyone. Whether you prefer the paper-based route
or studying on-line, the benefits are always the same
– you study in your own time and at your own pace,
and you don’t have to travel hundreds of miles
in order to get a qualification with an international
reputation. Once you let the institution come to you,
you’ll never want to study any other way!
List of useful websites
National Extension College www.nec.ac.uk,
Open University www.open.ac.uk,
British Council www.britcoun.org.uk,
International Centre for Distance Learning www-icdl.open.ac.uk,
Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (provides
a list of institutions in the UK that have been vetted
for quality and accredited by ODLQC, and also has a
comprehensive list of worldwide distance learning links)
www.odlqc.org.uk
Provided by the National Extension College
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