Distance Learning:

Distance Learning and E-Learning

Executive Summery:

Table of Content

Distance Learning:
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom. It has been described as "a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both." Distance education courses that require a physical on-site presence for any reason have been referred to as hybrid or blended courses of study. Distance learning occurs when there is a separation between the instructor and the student, usually due to geographical or time concerns that prevent the student from attending an on-campus course. Often, electronic means are used to bridge this gap and distribute educational material though distance learning programs using printed and mailed materials have existed for well over a hundred years. hese programs have usually been specially designed to help best meet the needs and requirements that arise when learning is ta!ing place outside of a traditional classroom setting. he ma"ority of distance education today ta!es place using the Internet, now readily accessible for the vast ma"ority of students whether in their own homes or at facilities such as local libraries. hese electronic means are used to distribute the learning material, !eep students in touch with teachers, and provide access to communication between students. Of course, distance learning can use other technological formats as well including television, D#Ds, teleconferencing, and printable material, but the immediacy and functionality of $eb learning has made it a first choice for many distance learners. Online programs often ta!e advantage of a number of emerging technologies to ma!e !eeping in touch and effectively communicating ideas easier and more efficient than ever

before and students may find themselves using interactive videos, e-mail, and discussion boards to complete their lessons.

History of Distance learning

%odern distance education initially relied on the development of postal services in the &'th century and has been practiced at least since Isaac (itman taught shorthand in )reat *ritain via correspondence in the &+,-s. he .niversity of /ondon claims to be the first university to offer distance learning degrees, establishing its 0xternal (rogrammed in &+1+. his program is now !nown as the .niversity of /ondon International (rogrammers and includes (ostgraduate, .ndergraduate and Diploma degrees created by colleges such as the /ondon 2chool of 0conomics, 3oyal 4olloway and )oldsmiths. In the .nited 2tates $illiam 3ainey 4arper, first president of the .niversity of 5hicago developed the concept of extended education, whereby the research university had satellite colleges of education in the wider community, and in &+'6 he also encouraged the concept of correspondence school courses to further promote education, an idea that was put into practice by 5olumbia .niversity. In 7ustralia, the .niversity of 8ueensland established its Department of 5orrespondence 2tudies in &'&&. oday, there are many private and public, non-profit and for-profit institutions worldwide offering distance education courses from the most basic instruction through to the highest levels of degree and doctoral programs. /evels of accreditation vary9 some of the institutions receive little outside oversight, and some may be fraudulent diploma mills, although in many "urisdictions, an institution may not use terms such as "university" without accreditation and authori:ation, often overseen by the national government - for example, the 8uality 7ssurance 7gency in the .;. In the .2, the Distance 0ducation and raining 5ouncil <D0 5= speciali:e in the accreditation of distance education institutions.

Technologies Used in Distance Learning

he types of available technologies used in distance education are divided into two groups9 synchronous learning and asynchronous learning.

2ynchronous learning technology is a mode of delivery where all participants are "present" at the same time. It resembles traditional classroom teaching methods despite the participants being located remotely. It requires a timetable to be organi:ed. $eb conferencing, videoconferencing, 0ducational television, Instructional television are examples of synchronous technology, as are direct-broadcast satellite <D*2=, internet radio, live streaming, telephone, and web-based #oI(. he asynchronous learning mode of delivery is where participants access course materials on their own schedule and so is more flexible. 2tudents are not required to be together at the same time. %ail correspondence, which is the oldest form of distance education, is an asynchronous delivery technology and others include message board forums, e-mail, video and audio recordings, print materials, voicemail and fax. he two methods can be combined in the delivery of one course. >or example, some courses offered by he Open .niversity use periodic sessions of residential or day teaching to supplement the remote teaching. Other technology methods used in the delivery of distance education include online threedimensional <?D= virtual worlds. 7 popular ?D virtual world, 7ctive $orlds, is used for synchronous and asynchronous learning. 7ctive $orlds provides opportunities for students to wor! collaboratively.

Users of Distances Learning

Distance learning is being used by "ust about everyone involved in the educational process. >rom high school students, to those involved in higher education, the military, and the government, to those pursuing continuing education, corporate training, and lifelong learning, $omen in rural sides and also for those people who were not able to continue their study longer are the students for distance learning. Distance learning is being used for multiple ongoing purposes9 &. o reach underserved and advanced students

6.

o reach learners in different geographic locations - rural areas, as well as cities across the .nited 2tates, 5anada, and the world

?. 5ourse enrichment and staff development ,. Institutions and organi:ations are also using distance learning to save on the cost of training and to offer "ust-in-time training to individuals and employees in remote locations Distant learning is very flexible. 7t the same time, distant learning requires more of the learner. 7s a learner, you are responsible for ensuring that you schedule the necessary time away from other activities in order to complete your coursewor! and assignments. $hatever schedule you set, you must follow through with it, or else your learning will not be effective. Distance learning has reversed the dynamics of learning@ instead of the student going to school, the school now comes to the student.

Most common distance learning - Video Learning

#ideo learning is the most common type of distance learning. . #ideo techniques for distance learning are often characteri:ed by the transmission media <videotapes, satellites, television cables, computers, and microwave=. 0ach of the media can be described as it relates to the direction of the video and audio signals -- one-way video@ two-way video@ one-way audio@ and two-way audio Advantages of Video Technologies

Allow both audio and video communications. #ideo technologies can provide the visual and audio realism of a face-to-face class. It is generally considered the "next best thing to being there."

acilitate !ersonal feelings. #ideo technologies enable students and instructors to see facial expressions and body language, adding personalities to communication.

"nable high levels of interaction. %ost video communications are synchronous, allowing high degrees of interactions, questions and answers, etc.

Disadvantages of Video Technologies

May be e#!ensive. 5ameras and editing equipment can be expensive. In addition, the infrastructure at each site and the lin!s between sites can be costly. $e%uire a great deal of !lanning and !re!aration. o be effective, the camera crews and the instructor must practice and become a team. >aculty members generally need practice and training to be effective in this domain.

Must be scheduled. %ost videoconferences are not spontaneous. Instead, they must be planned and the necessary resources must be scheduled.

$e%uire technical su!!ort team. *ecause of the complexity of video recording, mixing, and transmission, a technical support team is required. In addition, site facilitators are necessary to ensure the equipment wor!s properly at the receiving stations.

&ummary of Distance Learning Technologies

he following table summari:es the advantages and disadvantages of the ma"or distance learning technologies. Advantages 'rint %aterials Inexpensive (ortable 4igh comfort level 3eadily available Disadvantages Ao interactions /imited sensory involvement 3equires reading s!ills ime delay

Voicemail

/ow 0asy to Increases interactions

cost use

/ength may be limited Ao visual cues %ay involve toll charges Ao visual Ao interaction cues

Audio files()D

Inexpensive 0asily accessible 0asily duplicated Inexpensive 0asy to set up

Audio conference

Ao visual cues Ao interaction 3equires hardware 3equires hardware 2oftware variations

"-mail

>lexible Interactive 5onvenient 3eal-time interactions Instant feedbac!

*nline )hat

3equires similar software %ust be scheduled 3equires hardware 3equires computer 3equires $eb access %ay be slow 5omplex to record Ao interaction 3equires hardware

+eb-based "ducation

%ay incorporate multimedia $orldwide access Interactive Inexpensive 0asily accessible 0asily duplicated 7udio and visual elements 4igh %ay be interactive realism

Videota!e(DVD

&atellite Videoconference

0xpensive hardware %ust be scheduled .sually one-way only %ust 2mall be scheduled windows

,nternet Videoconference

4igh %ay

be

realism interactive

3elatively inexpensive )able(-roadcast Television 0asy to use 0asily accessible %ay be videotaped Includes audio and visual

2low, "er!y video 4igh production costs 3equires hardware Ao interaction %ust be scheduled

Distance learning in -angladesh

he history of distance education in *angladesh dates bac! to &'1B, when the education Directorate was assigned with the responsibility for distribution of 6-- radio receivers to educational institutions. &'C&. 7fter Independence *angladesh faced the challenge of meeting the educational needs of mass people. o meet this challenge the necessity for a new mode of education was widely felt. 7s a sequel to that feeling, the 2chool *roadcasting (ilot (ro"ect <2*(= was launched in &'C+ and this was initiated under the visionary leadership of the then (resident Diaur 3ahman. /ater in &'+?, the pro"ect was transformed into Aational Institute of 0ducational %edia and echnology <AI0% =. his led to the creation of an 7udio-#isual 5ell and later the 7udio-#isual 0ducation 5entre. Ao further progress in distance education was made till

.eed of distance learning ,n -angladesh

he case for open and distance education in *angladesh is an important issue for several pressing reasons. >irstly, the vast ma"ority of the people live below poverty line. hey are unable to attend the urban based institutions and thus remain deprived of higher education despite their superior merit. 2econdly, those who "oin wor! force without completing their studies due to family commitments are unable to wor! for studies and also to find a place in the traditional institutions of higher learning, even if some of them have strong desire to higher studies. hirdly, the opportunity for higher education , the

places are extremely limited in *angladesh. herefore, even those who can afford to finance their studies find it difficult to get admitted to any universities <2adeq 6--?=. >ourthly, the tradition of childhood and early marriage in the country deprives the female population from higher education. *esides, there are some other usual factors li!e physical disabilities, remoteness of localities, higher tuition fees in most private universities, and so on. hese are the reasons for why millions of people are deprived from higher education in *angladesh despite their !een interest and eligibilities. Open and distance education can open up the opportunities for higher education for such a vast under-privileged population. *angladesh is generously endowed with human resources that need to be well equipped with literacy and s!ills to contribute to economic development, which is badly needed for this country. he open and distance education is expected to do a lot in this field if provided with adequate facilities and quality.

*!en University of -angladesh

he best way of distance learning in *angladesh is Open .niversity. 7n open university is an institution for distance education. It is designed for those who intend to improve the level of their education or professional s!ills by studying at home or at places of their wor!. It meets the need for education of all classes of people particularly those who are deprived of education from conventional institutions. 7n open university offers a wide variety of formal and non-formal programs through printed materials, web-based system andEor electronic media li!e radio, television, audio and video cassettes, 5Ds, telecommunication and tutorial services. he concept of distance teaching became popular as early as in the sixties and by now many countries in the world have established open universities. 4owever, distance education in *angladesh started since &'1B with a distribution of 6-- radio receivers. Open and distance learning <OD/= get

institutional status through establishing the *angladesh Open .niversity <*O.= and it receives the autonomous status by the parliamentary act, &''6. $ith a population of nearly &,- million, *angladesh faces the challenges of creating manpower within the shortest possible time. 7vailable educational facilities in the country are inadequate to meet this challenge. 7ccess to education is always limited by physical facilities in the conventional system. herefore, the ob"ectives have been clarified in the *O. act F*O. 7ct-&''6, Ao-?+, ?<1=G as to create educated and trained wor!-force by providing access to a wide range of educational and vocational training programs for all levels of people particularly for disadvantaged and rural masses including women who are generally deprived of formal education and training. he )overnment of *angladesh and the 7sian Development *an! <7D*= have provided funds for setting up the .niversity. he main structure of the .niversity has been built as the central campus at )a:ipur, about ,- !ilometers north of Dha!a-the capital city of *angladesh. he Open .niversity is a brea!through to grab the chance and to pursue the ob"ectives to enrich !nowledge of people, especially in developing countries. %ost of the people in developing countries and /east Developed 5ountries do not have access to sufficient education. he condition has also become worst when improvement and recovery of the economy are the main priorities of governmentHs policy instead of education. In this situation, Open .niversity is relevant. %ore and less, developing countries have similar problems in education. %any alternatives of solution have been developed to overcome the problem. /arge number of out of school children, disadvantage groups, s!illed and uns!illed wor!ing class, rural people, "ob see!ers and women who couldnHt afford to have regular education@ the open and distance learning <OD/= system has given them an open door access. herefore, the concept of Open .niversity is popular in all nations.

herefore, a detail description of *O. and its academic programs are included in this report to understand the current situation of I5 use in D0, and find out potentials for elearning in *angladesh in future. Academic 'rograms *O. provides higher education and professional training in wide areas such as agriculture, business, education, arts, science and technology as well as basic education at secondary and higher secondary levels. It introduces several formal academic programs from 5ertificate to %asters /evels under six academic schools. 5urrent enrollment of *O. is approximately ,-- thousands. his number is higher than the total enrollment of all traditional universities in the country. 5onsidering the importance of life- long education, *O. broadcasts many non-formal programs in the field of agriculture, health and nutrition, environment, livestoc! and poultry, pisciculture, public laws, ethics, family planning and so on through national broadcasts <7nonymous 6--6=. Mode of Teaching %ode of teaching is very important for distance learning. %ixed mode uses several different media methods or deliveries such as video and e-mail compared to single mode which is one delivery method. "2ingle mode delivery systems do not provide enough instructional power to ignite the studentHs interest because they fail to provide student involvement. 7s a distinct mode of imparting education, *angladesh Open .niversity relies heavily on print materials, electronic media li!e radio-television and audio-video cassettes, and face to face tutorial services <Islam 6--1=. he use of these techniques helps *O. to ta!e its academic programs to the door-steps of people far and wide. It ma!es room for in-house education. 5onsidering the rapid expansion of I5 sin the country, *O. should introduce more electronic media li!e 5D-3O%, e-mail, internet for its advanced learners < able ?=. Indeed, *O. has been broadcasting some radio and # programs for the students of each formal program through national # and radio. he broadcasting time of those programs are sometimes not convenient to the target learners. herefore, *O. could easily ma!e # and radio-

copies of those recorded programs on 5DE53-3O% and add with respective pac!age of course materials. 4owever, it is necessary to survey of student access in common I5 s to ma!e a pilot pro"ect for introducing some interactive e-learning systems <proposed= with current modes of delivery of courses for the *O. students. &taffs Aew s!ills must be learned by faculty members to meet the needs of quality distance education <2herry and %ores, &''1=. *O. has well-trained and s!illed academic and management staffs. 7lmost all teachers and higher ran!ed officers received an advanced training in distance and open learning in home and abroad funded by 7D* <7nonymous 6--6, *O. &''C=. media production, hey received training in all aspects of D0 including modern mass communication, communication s!ill development, management, computer s!ill development, information technology, printing technology, environmental control, transport management, editing, module writing etc. hese s!illed staffs are able to introduce and run any new technology for e-learning. Students enrollment BOU student enrollment in different programs is dramatically increasing since its operation in 1995. The students enrollment from 1998-2 2 ! "#nonymous 2$ in different programs, suggest that BOU certainly e%ists as one of the

mega-uni&ersities in future and 'ill ta(e the responsi)ility for educating the mass people of Bangladesh. If it is possible to improve the socio-economic conditions and I5 infrastructure of the country, introduction of interactive e-learning could boost D0 and directly contribute to the development of *angladesh.

"-Learning in -angladesh
odayIs world is shaped by availability of Information and 5ommunication echnology <I5 =. *ecause global economy is powered by technology, fueled by information and driven by !nowledge. his rapid change demands a dynamic renovation in the sector of education. I5 s can empower teachers and

students, promote change and foster the development of J6&st century s!illsI. $ith the improvement of technology the whole world is now connected with Information and 5ommunication echnology <I5 = which has brought a significant change in the way the world operates and communicates. *angladesh is not lagged behind of this step. he broad ob"ective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of next generation technologies in the education sector of *angladesh. he study initially focused on introducing ;I 0Is Dynamic 5haracter 3ecognition echnology <D53 =, (en ablet device and multimedia 5D on math for pre-primary education. It is seen that students were extremely excited with their new learning system using innovative technology. hey received multimedia content as a very useful assistant to them. 0specially the animated picture and the movement of the characters made them spell bound. hey spend much more time with the practice session using pen tablet device. (arents of the studentsI response were very positive for using this new teaching-learning method. hey anticipate that it would be an enormous support in learning and teaching math for four to six years school going children. eachers of the school are very much enthusiastic using next generation and the multimedia content. technologies

,m!ortance

and

conte#tual

relevance

of

e-Learning
his is

oday, e-/earning has become the !ey to a profound revolution in learning.

because e-/earning can offer what is possibly the most flexible and effective learning approach. $ith e-/earning, students can study at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. 0-/earning enhances studentIs learning experience by allowing a better interactive communication with instructors. his is enabled by providing a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities administered through a well-designed e-/earning environment. learning 4igh-quality learning content, presented with good teaching outcome. methodologies, and instructional models can render a positive impact on the studentIs

)enerally e-/earning is seen as offering solutions to several challenges currently facing in education sector. e-/earning can improve the quality of learning by9

K providing access to a range of resources and materials which may not otherwise be available or accessible, for example graphics, sound, animation, multimedia K giving K allowing K learning K providing K ma!ing K creating K reducing an it control to students to over study of multimedia to that promotes learning amend an learning and active when at and where their individual without update approach to any they own study pace students tutor materials learning time students needs attractive easier environment

providing a student centered learning environment which can be tailored to meet the

K releasing time for more active, engaging and interactive forms of teaching K supporting increased communications between staff and students, and amongst students K providing frequent and timely individual feedbac!, for example through computer assisted K motivating K supporting K supporting K encouraging assessment, students and economic students reuse to ta!e through and appropriate encouraging of high responsibility use positive of interactive expensive their own collaborative quality, for reinforcement courseware learning resources learning.

"-Learning system in Bangladesh with next generation technologies

;I 0 echnology )roup <;I 0=, Lapan is currently wor!ing on development of next generation technologies and aiming to utili:e them in applications in the field of education. D.Aet <Development 3esearch Aetwor!=, one of the prominent research institutes in *angladesh, is introducing these new technologies for the underprivileged pre-primary school children of *angladesh. D.Aet initiated to accomplish a research to assess the effectiveness of Dynamic 5haracter 3ecognition echnology <D53 =, (en ablet Device as well as %ultimedia 5ontent on math for pre-school children.

/.

Dynamic

)haracter

$ecognition

Technology

0D)$T1

4andwriting is a natural way for child to learn spelling, counting and various studies. 5urrent e-/earning systems are highly dependent on clic!ing the mouse and tapping the !eyboards. $hile there are various good contents using the mouse and !eyboards, it has

limitation on flexibility and variation of the contents. 4owever, it was difficult to develop an educational contents using handwriting due to lac! of sufficient technologies. ;I 0 developed an innovative 5haracter 3ecognition echnology with its long

experience in the field of vision recognition technology and continuous effort for brea! through ideas. It is a perfect fit for educational applications as it has high recognition ability combined with ability to evaluate the shape. ;I 0Is technology has already been deployed commercially by various educational applications in Lapan. 7pplication developed by ;I 0 for teachers has been adopted by all primary schools and "unior high schools in 5ity of 2aitama, Lapan in >ebruary 6-&-.

2. 'en Tablet Device

here are many pens tablet devices and their applications are also very easy to use. $acom pen tablet is one of them. $acom pen displays are an ideal solution for presenting and remote collaboration. .sing the pen directly on screen lets educators and presenters communicate effectively. $ith a $acom pen display connected to a pro"ector, they can face the audience while annotating directly on the screen. (en tablets also unleash studentsH creativity9 using the latest, most natural technology, they are excited to experience the power of the pen

3. Mobile Learning
%obile /earning increases access for those who are mobile or cannot physically attend learning institutions M those who would not otherwise be able to follow courses in a traditional educational setting due to the constraints of wor!, household activities, or other competing demands on their time. %obile /earning ma!es education more accessible in that it enables learners to pursue their studies according to their own schedule. he portability of mobile technology means that %obile /earning is not bound by fixed class times@ %obile /earning enables learning at all times and in all places, during brea!s, before or after shifts, at home, or on the go. Interestingly, however, while

%obile /earning is portable, it is not necessarily associated with physical movement. 7ccording to a study conducted by #avoula, few people actually utili:e the time spent in transit to learn

)*MM*. '$*-L"M& * "-L"A$.,.4 "DU)AT,*.

7lthough e-learning in the universities and educational institutes of the developed countries are getting popularity day by day, it is still a dream for the less developed countries because of poor I5 infrastructure and other socioeconomic reasons. Due to very high primary cost for infrastructural development and to increase public access to internet and other I5 s, the developing countries are still far behind from getting benefit from the e-learning. he main points that should be considered before introducing elearning in the developing countries are briefly discussed below9 $eliability of technology .ntil technology becomes more reliable, the democrati:ation of e-learning will be difficult. &tability of technology he rapid evolution of the technology is another source of concern for both e-learning providers and learners. The interface and its ease of use odayHs best technology is not up to the level of new usersH expectations. If !eyboard literacy remains fundamental criterion for accessing e-learning, only a small part of humanity will be able to profit from it. )ost of e%ui!ment and access he mar!etplace has in the past five years been very sensitive to the cost of equipment and access to networ!s. Maintenance costs 5 infrastructure 0-learning depends on hardware and software infrastructures or platforms that require constant attention.

Direct cost One of the ma"or issues in a period of technological and cultural metamorphosis is estimating and managing the direct costs to determine whether the investment required is worthwhile. )onversion costs 0e%ui!ment6 s7ills1 *ecause of the general state of technological and economic flux, planning the implementation of new systems and s!ills is a precarious exercise.

"8'")TAT,*. * "-L"A$.,.4 ,. D"V"L*',.4 )*U.T$9

)reat strides have been made over the past few years in enhancing the capacity for elearning and finding ways to broaden its exposure. he move to e-learning has been assisted on the demand side by high access levels to computers and the internet in many other countries such as 7ustralia. he e-learning has several advantages in promoting distance and open learning. 2ome of the important points are listed bellow9 N Internet connections are very few, this model has high potential to attract large crowd, which helps to entrepreneur to be a part of e-learning. N N (eople can learn what they need to learn and go at their own pace. 4igh quality Internet infrastructure and networ!ing will help to deliver high quality courses. 5D-3O% training now offers movie-quality lectures by famous (rofessors that include a variety of qui::es and exercises. N 5omputers with high internet infrastructure will help to reduce the overheads as there wonHt be any recruitment, training, and up gradation of faculties. N Due to socio-economic conditions, large number of students still avoids schools@ e-learning may involve them in studies.

0-learning provides the courses round the cloc! i.e. C days a wee! and 6, hours a day, which further attracts wor!ing peoples, students and even individuals.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Distances Learning

/i!e any !ind of educational program, distance learning comes with a host of pros and cons. *efore you enroll in any !ind of distance learning program, ma!e sure to carefully consider these in order to be sure youIll be getting an education that meets your personal needs, strengths and career goals. Distance Learning Advantages:

/ots of flexibility. $ith distance learning courses, students can complete their course wor! from "ust about anywhere, provided thereIs a computer and internet connection. his allows students to wor! when and where it is more convenient for them without having to squee:e in scheduled classes to an already busy life.

Ao commuting. a!ing a course online can be one way to cut down on costly gas or public transportation. 2ince students can often wor! from home to complete their class assignments, both time and money are saved in cutting out the trips to and from class.

Aumerous choices for schools. 0ven if you live in a community with few or no colleges distance learning allows you to choose from a wide variety of schools to complete your education. Oou may find online schools that speciali:e in your particular field or one that can provide a great general education. 0ither way, your options for education will be greatly expanded.

/owered costs. (rices for online courses are generally cheaper than their oncampus counterparts and you wonIt have to worry about commuting, moving or getting meal plans on campus, some additional benefits to learning from home.

/earn while wor!ing. 7s distance learning can usually be completed on your own schedule, it is much easier to complete distance learning courses while wor!ing

than more traditional educational programs. ;eeping your "ob gives you more income, experience and stability while completing your degree giving you less to worry about and more time to focus on your studies. Distance Learning Disadvantages:

/ac! of social interaction. If the classroom environment is what you love most about learning you may want to ta!e a step bac! and reconsider distance learning. OouIll li!ely get some interaction on chat rooms, discussion boards and through email, but the experience will be quite different than traditional courses.

>ormat isnIt ideal for all learners. Aot everyone is an ideal candidate for online learning. If you !now you have problems with motivation, procrastination and needs lots of individual attention from an instructor you may want to thin! long and hard before enrolling in an online learning program.

2ome employers donIt accept online degrees. $hile a ma"ority of employers will, there are some who still see a stigma attached to distance learning. 3eali:e that your online degree may not be the ideal tool for some "ob fields or for future learning.

3equires adaptability to new technologies. If youIve never been one to love wor!ing with technology you will probably get a lot less out of an online course than your more tech-savvy counterparts. %a!e sure you feel comfortable wor!ing with computers and with online programs before you sign up for a class.

Aot all courses required to complete the degree may be offered online. It ma!es sense that more practical ma"ors li!e nursing arenIt offered entirely online, after all, part of the degree is learning to wor! directly with patients. >ind out all the requirements of your degree to see what may need to be completed offline.

)onclusion
Distance learning ma!es it much easier for some students to complete a degree or get additional "ob-training while balancing wor! and family commitments. *ecause the hours

when class wor! can be completed are flexible, as most distance learning programs allow students to wor! at their own pace and on their own time, many students can complete their wor! during times when they are free, rather than scheduling their lives around a set classroom time. $ith more flexibility comes more responsibility on the part of the learner. 2tudents must learn to wor! well independently and without the constant guidance and monitoring of an instructor, ma!ing distance learning a challenge for those who are not easily self-motivated. Distance learning is also a great tool to help reach students who are in geographically remote areas and may not have readily available access to educational facilities or who want to explore opportunities not offered by their local schools. Of course, schools are not the only people who are ta!ing advantage of distance learning, as many businesses have found it a valuable tool in ma!ing employee education and training quic!er and more cost efficient.