Make distance learning work for you

The days when distance learning was considered the poor cousin of on-campus study have long gone, as Alan Bowen-James of Cengage Education explains.

In many ways, the term ‘distance education’ is misleading nowadays because it implies that it is about people studying in remote locations, deprived of access to ‘proper’ education in the form of face-to-face teaching. While this once was the case, with distance or correspondence education being the ‘poor cousin’ of campus-based education, the advent of the internet has changed everything.

The perceived disadvantages of distance – lack of access to facilities such as libraries, isolation from peers and teachers, absence of community, loss of immediacy of communication through lectures and seminars – have largely evaporated. Indeed, in some respects, the situation is now the reverse, with campus-based students finding that they are going online to experience the dynamism of life on the web.

Further, traditional views on what constitutes the ‘best’ form of education and training have also moved on, with educators appreciating that what is good for one category of students, say, high school leavers, may not be optimal for other types of students, such as mid-career professionals or working parents. In other words, few educators would now argue that one size fits all, that one mode of education can meet the needs of all types of students. This is not to mention individual variations in learning styles and preferences, regardless of your age or circumstances. Numerous studies have shown that for busy people, quality distance education provides just as fulfilling an educational experience as campus-based learning, sometimes more so. This is especially the case for adult learners, people either returning to education, or coming to it late, who are driven by the desire to gain a qualification or specific knowledge rather than the attractions of a campus lifestyle. Accordingly, the key questions for you in deciding to take on – or continue with – distance learning are:

• Is lack of time a major hindrance to study?
• Is distance learning the best solution to your study needs, taking into account accessibility, work, family and other commitments?
• If the answer to both the above is ‘yes’, which of the various types of distance learning is most likely to assist you to achieve your learning goals?

Why opt for distance learning?

Making a comparison between campus-based study and distance education is a bit like comparing restaurant dining and take-away meals: they both have their advantages and disadvantages, and both are driven by circumstantial factors and personal agendas. While many of us would prefer to eat in the best restaurants every night of the week, we realise that the opportunity cost of doing so would wreck our budgets, in time as well as money. Moreover, the sheer hassle of dressing up, driving, parking and putting up with noisy patrons gets tiring. Invariably, it’s a matter of balancing needs, opportunities and resources.

Distance education is all about flexibility, mobility, time management, and juggling competing life interests and pressures. An interesting case in point is the impact distance education is having on rugby league players in Sydney’s western suburbs. A significant number of young players are taking distance education courses in a variety of disciplines, even though there are university campuses nearby. Why? Because many of the players are self-conscious about how they might be perceived by their peers. The issue here is not time, but self-image.

A good example of how distance education can make a real difference is the case of Sally, a separated 30-year-old with two young children who lives in south-western Sydney and is struggling to make ends meet bookkeeping for a small business. Sally deeply regretted not finishing high school and despaired of ever getting out of her poverty trap. She didn’t meet the admission prerequisites for the local university and simply couldn’t afford the time (or babysitting) to attend lectures. A friend told Sally about our Bachelor of Accounting so she contacted Cengage, and was advised by one of our counsellors that she could enrol in a Diploma of Accounting as a matureaged student and, if she passed the course, could get advanced standing into the degree; which is exactly what happened. After a tentative start, Sally finished the Diploma with a credit average and is now well into the degree, looking forward to graduating as an accountant and a new life.

Neither mode of learning, campus or distance, on its own will serve the needs of everyone, everywhere, every time. What is important is that people have a choice, and that is what distance education offers, especially for those for whom the pressures of life and circumstance offer few choices.

Dr Alan Bowen-James is general manager of Cengage Education, Australia’s largest private dual sector educational institution, which has some 80,000 active distance education students.