Distance learning provides opportunities for people who might not otherwise be able to pursue an education. It allows students to access educational formats remotely, from a computer connection in their home or some other location not inside a traditional classroom. It can give traditional students an opportunity to jump ahead in their coursework by taking an online course during their summer breaks. Other potential students who, due to family responsibilities, job obligations or perhaps just the fact that attending traditional college classes on campus is a physical impossibility, are finally able to fulfill a dream of earning a degree or certificate to improve their lives or further their employment opportunities and personal goals. The rewards can be great, but the self-discipline can be a challenge.
Because of the different delivery methods involved in distance learning, there is a greater responsibility on the student to understand the demands and prepare themselves to meet those demands. No one is standing over you watching every step you make. Traditional classroom education revolves around attending class at a certain day and time one or more times a week for an established period of time. There is a certain level of pressure in this environment to make sure the reading is done, the assignment is ready to turn in or the preparation work for the weekly quiz is done before the next class meets. Teachers in a traditional classroom set the pace for the coursework and make sure enough ground is being covered each week to accomplish the goals of the course.
Distance learning students have the flexibility to "attend" their online classroom at their convenience. They can work around the other obligation of their lives and allocate study time when it is most convenient, even if it is at a different day and time every week. Assignments are still due according to the schedule set forth on the class syllabus but the steady pressure of the instructor reminding the student at each class meeting that the first term paper is due in one week is less intense. It can be a little too easy to put off until tomorrow the classwork which should be undertaken today.
Distance learning students must be accountable to themselves, first and foremost. If they are not motivated to study, learn the material and pursue their educational requirements on their own, they are likely to fall behind quickly. Once the momentum is gone, it is very difficult to get back on track. The resources available to a distance learning student are there to help and support the student, but they do little to motivate a student who lacks adequate study skills or is unable to manage his time wisely. Without the close guidance of a teacher, a student who is struggling in the distance learning environment may escape notice until it is too late.
This same level of self-motivation that is essential for a distance learning student to succeed is also one of the factors which make students of distance learning programs outstanding students in their own right. Any student who has successfully completed a distance learning program has already proven their leadership capabilities by being able to control their educational environment and achieve the goals they have set for themselves as well as those established by the coursework.
A desire to succeed is often the motivating factor leading a student to distance learning opportunities. That same desire must translate into a strong level of motivation to achieve the goals once they are visualized or the dream will wither and die. No one can do that better than the student themselves.