by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: June 08, 2010   Last Updated: April 09, 2011

Distance learning is an invaluable way to get an education and obtain a qualification without the inconvenience of having to turn up to classes in person, while it can also prove cheaper than traditional learning. Indeed, there are many advantages associated with distance learning and degrees achieved in this way are just as highly regarded by employers as degrees obtained in red-brick universities. This should come as no surprise, really, though, as you have to be extremely self-motivated to complete a distance learning course, which is a quality very much sought by employers.

When you attend a regular university or college you actually have to be there in person a few days a week, at least, which isn’t the case when most of your learning is done online. You may interact with your tutor via email, but you don’t really get to know them all that well. Clearly, if you see your tutor every few days they get to know you and how you work and you can always approach them if you’re struggling and they will help. They’re also there to tell you when essays are due and how to approach essay questions, which isn’t necessarily the case when you’re taking a distance learning course.

Of course, you can still get in touch with your tutor, but you don’t know them and they don’t know you. Communicating online or over the phone isn’t quite the same as doing so in person and you might be reluctant to approach your tutor, anyway, as you don’t want to appear stupid. If you have returned to education after a long break you may be worried about whether you have the necessary skills to succeed and if you have to combine studying with family commitments and work it can be a struggle to fit everything in.

That is why you have to find the self-motivation to complete a distance learning course, as there are so many other things that are competing for your time and if you don’t priorities your studies you may not get a pass grade for your essays or do well in exams. You don’t have other students around you all day to ask for help and to keep you focused, just as you can’t rely on your tutor.

The good thing is that deciding to take a distance learning course demonstrates a commitment to improving yourself and so you’re bound to have a certain degree of motivation. No one is making you take a course, as you are doing it for your own benefit, which is why it is important to focus on what you hope to get out of it in the end so you can stay motivated.

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