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Introduction to Distance Learning

Online learning, televised classrooms, and home-study courses have revolutionized the way instruction is delivered, making it possible to earn college credits from the comfort of our homes or offices without regard for time and geographical barriers. Life long education can make a major difference in the quality of living for an individual or a family unit. Whether you are a professional who can study for a few hours on an airplane or during a lunch break at work, or a young mother who can attend classes after the kids are asleep, distance learning may be your answer to completing a degree or acquiring certification. With the rising cost of living, it's becoming more critical for adults to enhance their education so that they may get higher paying jobs. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 earning statistics shows the benefits of lifelong education.

 

What Is Distance Learning

Distance Learning is defined as a formal educational process where the majority of the instruction occurs when the learner and instructor are not in the same place and are often separated by time. The education is delivered to people instead of people to the education. So what does this means to you as a student:

  • Instead of sitting in a lecture hall or attending a seminar, you participate in an online conference through your computer, watch a videotape on your home television set, or join a video conference at a local teleconferencing center.
  • Instead of a team project where a group of students meets together in the same place once a week, you collaborate via computer conferences, e-mail, or audio conferences.
  • Instead of searching through the stacks in a dusty library, you surf the web or use online databases and research librarians
  • Instead of sitting down with your faculty advisor over a cup of coffee, you use e-mail, telephone, or live computer chats
  • Instead of handing in your homework during class, you return your assignments electronically online or via e-mail, fax, or by mail
  • Instead of testing with your class, you go to a local testing center, find a proctor at your local high school or college, or take tests via e-mail, fax, or online
Did You Know?
  • $10,660 is the average tuition, room, and board (for in-state students) at the nation’s four-year public colleges and universities for an entire academic year; that is double the corresponding figure in 1990.
  • If you’re not sure where to do your back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound in the United States: In 2002, there were 22,897 family clothing stores; 6,119 children’s and infants’ clothing stores; 27,961 shoe stores; 9,267 office supplies and stationery stores; 23,018 sporting goods stores; 12,178 bookstores, and 10,418 department stores.
  • $31,051 is the average tuition, room, and board at the nation’s four-year private colleges and universities for one complete academic year; that is more than double the corresponding 1990 figure.
  • Market analysts at International Data Corp (IDC) predict that the worldwide market for corporate e-learning will rise from $8 billion last year to $26 billion by the year 2010.