by Jeffrey A Fuller

Created on: July 05, 2010   Last Updated: March 12, 2011

Traditional classroom environments have teachers who set the pace with deadlines spread out over the span of a semester, who are available to help with misunderstood concepts, and who afford the opportunity to establish rapport with students. Students know that grades are dependent upon making those deadlines and having all assignments completed by course’s end. However, distance learning is clearly set apart from traditional learning because it requires students to be accountable to themselves for making good time management decisions, and finding answers on their own to hard to understand concepts.

In most cases there is a deadline for distance learning courses, but only one, and that is for the end of the course. It’s left up to the student to manage all the time between beginning and end by setting their own schedules for completing work. This means that “warm bath” activities (parties, video games, watching TV, hobbies, hanging out) will have to be sacrificed and temptations to procrastinate must be endured by willpower alone. Because there is little if any instructor/student interaction, rapport is not established, therefore the instructor is less likely to show any compassion if work is not completed by the course due date, regardless of the difficulties experience by the student.

There is always the chance, and more so than not, of running across concepts that are difficult to grasp. Instead of being able to get the answer by raise of hand or a stop by the teacher’s desk after class, the student must seek help through tutors and independent research. What this means is that a distance learner must make an independent effort to go see a tutor, go to the library, or conduct Internet research without getting distracted. Distance learning is not recommended for students who demonstrate a fair amount of difficulty in any aspect of learning, time management, or motivation toward the learning process.

One misconception that I must mention is the fact that many students enter distance-learning programs thinking it will be easier than a traditional classroom course. This is hardly case. Distance learning courses are by far more difficult because there is no one present to clarify information or hold class discussions. Some students find it difficult to focus by simply reading the information, watching the video, or listening to audio recordings. The urge to fall asleep is much greater, and even still, sometimes the work is just more advanced.

Students who have excelled in traditional learning usually make the best candidates for distance learning because through their success they have demonstrated a reasonable degree of self-motivation. It’s not to say that students who have not been successful in traditional learning environments are automatically ruled out, but they would have to make an earnest commitment to improving their level of motivation toward learning. The first step toward accomplishing a renewed sense of motivation is to acknowledge that learning has not always been high on the list of priorities, and then resolve to make the necessary changes. Colleges, and even now high schools, experience their largest student turnover and non-completion rates through their distance learning programs. That alone should express that it is not the easiest of endeavors.

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