Is Distance Education for You?

Distance education is any educational system where the learner and instructor are separated by distance, and sometimes by time. Distance education comes in many forms, including:

• Correspondence courses, where students and instructors correspond by regular mail
  
  
• Videoconferencing courses, where students gather at a central location to interact with the instructor through two-way video or by telephone (where the instructor is on video and students call in with questions and comments)
  
  
• Computer conferencing courses, where students and instructors interact by sending typed messages or transferring data files with a personal computer. Computer conferencing courses can be either synchronous (where the participants are all online at the same time) or asynchronous (where participants may get online at any time and receive the messages left by others).

Aspen University uses online computer conferencing because it provides anytime, anywhere learning. You "attend" class from the privacy of your home or office, or from a hotel room if you're traveling. No driving to class in inclement weather. No parking fees. Class is in session seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so you can work it around your family, work, and other obligations.

Online computer conferencing sounds like the perfect learning solution for working adults, right? Not necessarily. Distance education in general and online computer conferencing in particular aren't for everyone. There are lots of reasons why someone might not want to learn by distance education. For example, some people prefer the face-to-face interaction they get in a classroom. Others relish the opportunity to get out of the house or office during class hours. Some are intimidated by the technology required to access an online class.

Research shows that people who do well in distance education tend to be:

• Self-directed and goal-oriented
• Independent and self-sufficient
• Internally motivated and confident of their ability to succeed
• Able to make time for studying

Also, to participate in online computer conferencing, you need:

• Access to the necessary computer equipment and online service
• Basic typing skills

Now that you know what distance education is and what it requires of the learner, we can get back to the original question:

Is it for you?

If you have the attributes, equipment, and skills listed above, you would probably be successful at distance learning and would find it very rewarding. The eCreation Self Assessment tested for some of these attributes and should have given you some idea of your fitness to the task. If you think you're a distance learner…

Find out what Aspen can offer you.