Distance education: is a virtual classroom for you?

Part 3

Challenging aspects of distance education

. LACK OF IN-PERSON INTERACTION: SOME EDUCATORS ARGUE THAT BOTH TEACHER-STUDENT AND STUDENT-STUDENT CONTACT ARE ESSENTIAL TO LEARNING. IN A DISTANCE-LEARNING CLASSROOM, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS DISCUSSION ONLINE IN CHAT ROOMS, MESSAGE BOARDS OF WEB CONFERENCES—BUT IT’S NOT THE SAME AS BEING WITH OTHER STUDENTS IN A CLASSROOM.

. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF QUALITY: MANY DISTANCE-EDUCATION PROGRAMS SUPPLY AN EXCELLENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE, BUT OTHERS MAY NOT.RESEARCH  ANY PROGRAM BEFORE SIGNING  ON TO MAKE SURE IT’S RIGOROUS ENOUGH. IF YOU ARE  CHOOSING  YOUR OWN PROGRAM, LOOK INTO ITS ACCREDITATION BEFORE ENROLLING.

. THE NEED TO SELF-START: DISTANCE EDUCATION LETS YOU MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE.IF YOU HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING MOTIVATED, THIS MIGHT OT BE THE IDEAL EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR YOU.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT