Advantage And Disadvantage Of Distance Learning

You should thoroughly analyze the advantage and disadvantage of distance learning before you make the decision of continuing your education by using distance learning services. It is true that this type of learning is pretty convenient and not to mention cost effective. Today, with the help of web conferencing tools the experience of distance learning is considerably better.

There are a lot of benefits as far as distance learning is concerned. The online facilities that have been developed on the Internet have brought distance learning to a higher level as now students and professors can communicate easier. The students have the possibility to lead discussions and thus developing their motivation and direction in learning. Another issue that can be both an advantage and disadvantage of distance learning is the fact that students are offered access to online libraries. On one hand this makes the learning process easier and more comfortable, but, on the other hand a person who chooses a distance learning program has to assume the lack of a tutor who can explain things at each step.

Of course, as with everything else, we have to calculate the advantage and disadvantage of distance learning and decide if it is the best option for reaching our goal. Some are of the opinion that the communication is much more difficult as far as distance learning is concerned and that the information is not always as clear as it is in face-to-face learning. There are no connections between the teacher and the student and this way there cannot be a relationship in which the learning process is based on the student’s needs. When choosing distance learning you have to understand that the vast majority of learning materials is mass-produced, addressing to a large number of people, thus not adapted to your own learning needs. Considering the advantage and disadvantage of distance learning you will come to the conclusion that it is quite different than the learning environment we’ve all been used to and that the level of self-direction that it involves could be quite hard for some people to maintain.

It is true that there is advantage and disadvantage of distance learning, but depending on each individual there may be more advantages or more disadvantages. Here are a few examples from each category, so that you can make an idea about how it works.

• Distance learning does not require traveling from one placeto another, thus you save time and money, while having the possibilityto spend your time working or studying.
• You can plan your time however you prefer as the coursesand lectures are asynchronous, giving you the possibility to do your homework at your convenience.
• In case you are a parent, distance learning will not takefrom your time with the kids.
• Distance learning is accessible to everyone, no matter ifyou are disabled or elderly and find it quite hard to attend traditional education.

• Distance learning may be quite expensive, as it offers alot of materials and implies ownership of a personal computer with Internet connection.
• There are times when you will need to sacrifice some ofyour time so that you get things done.
• Some people find it hard to schedule their time bythemselves and studying without being kept under supervision.