by Brooke Hart

Created on: April 17, 2008

For those that have a life that they can't get away from, but still want to advance their career through education, distance learning is a great option. However, before you jump into the books and the web courses, you will want to understand exactly how the technology works and what it means for getting ahead in academia and in your life. Knowing what the pros and cons are of learning away from a school can help you to decide if the move is right for you.

The number one advantage that comes with distance learning is flexibility. Leave it to the Internet to make it work, but now you don't have to show up to class at a certain time or certain place. With most course work, as long as you are signing in once or twice a week to check the boards and to do the assignments, you can breeze through the course. For those that have other things happening in their life, this is a great option.

The dynamics of the classroom can also became a large plus when you are working online. Because the classes are flexible, the conversations change. Others in the class will be working on chatting, discussing the assignments and there will be a continuous flow of the course work. Instead of having 45 minutes where you have to take it all in, you can process the work on a completely different level and understand it in print. To some, this is an easier way of learning.

If you are interested in learning on the web, you don't have to worry about how the course work will get to you. Technology has done amazing things for the classroom, including video lectures, chat boards, white boards, online cafes and drop boxes. Just like a regular room, the virtual classroom will allow you to take advantage of everything that would be in the class, only allows you to do it virtually.

Of course, with the set up and atmosphere of distance learning are also some other considerations to make. If you are getting a higher degree, it is important to remember that there often times isn't as much variety in classes that can be taken online. To most teachers that are at a university, the online courses are somewhat secondary. Options for taking classes, as well as the availability with different teachers, is not as diverse as it would be at the college. As this may advance over time, the new emergence of technology for classrooms is leaving teachers with more classes to teach and less time to do so.

The second major disadvantage of the online atmosphere is with the others who are in the class. Unless there is a lot of facilitation to get to know the other classmates, there will often times be a disconnect from others who are online. For some, this can be broken with interactions; however, the flexible times and the ability to socialize is more scattered in this area.

If you are looking for an education, distance learning is a great option. However, before you jump in, make sure you understand what type of learning suits you best and how you can optimize your experience online with the differences that technology brings.

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