Why Choose Distance Learning?

The factors listed below have been suggested as reasons for choosing DL.

Please add your comments.

Financial Reasons: Costs of relocating to do a campus-based course, loss of income ...

All costs of "traditional education" almost always add up to being much more expensive than the tuition itself. The costs of physically moving to a school, campus which in turn means figuring out the ongoing costs of living in proximity to the school or campus and how these costs will be offset (a new job? savings? the lottery?). Distance Education can make access to libraries, classmates, instructors, other resources much easier and more affordable - depending on how it is designed.

Flexibility

Without a doubt, "flexibility" remains the major difference between traditional face to face instruction and distance education. Distance Education tends to be much more "student centered" ... It has to be to overcome the many obstacles the undermine a student's success with distance education instruction - motivation ..undermined by a lack of relevance and a feeling of isolation.

Lack of Appropriate Courses Locally

Ability to plan studies around domestic demands (family, work, recreation)

As a parent and employed, the demands made on my time are almost always not of my choosing thus when I do have free time, I would like the freedom to use the little time that I do have to realize things that I'd like to do - like studying (?)

And ...?

Ability to network with others with similar background, learning style, etc.

I bring this up because DE gives me not only the opportunity to take on a course that my immediate surroundings may not be able to support (i.e. not a big enough population to support a given course).. but also to network with others who may experience the same difficulties in finding such a course AND who have a similar set of highly specialized interests. It often facilitates the creation of a "virtual community" should we wish to do so.