Does On-Line Learning Fit You?

To know if distance learning fits you, you need to examine how you learn best. Because the internet is so individualized and flexible, courses can be developed to meet individualized educational styles and needs. Technology in the on-line classroom can mean streaming-video lectures in real time, to instructorless simulations, to e-mail intense university courses that require students to read and research information. Students can pick the format that best suits them.

Some on-line learning basics

• You need access to a computer and the internet.
• You need to feel comfortable using the computer, typing and reading.
• You need to be comfortable trying out new situations and technologies, asking questions, handling one-on-one dialogue with peers and instructors, being able to work independently, learning through reading and understanding that on-line courses will be as demanding as traditional classes.
• You need to enjoy the freedom and responsibility of choosing daily when to attend class and when to study.
• Or maybe you are the type that has a busy schedule and can't fit the course you want into your routine so you have gone the distance learning route.
• If you are the type that looks forward to the exchange of ideas and benefits from direct feedback from instructors and from class membersor from simply writing to help organize your thoughts, this method could be for you.
• Distance learning is ideal for those who feel shy about speaking up in a lecture hall and are more likely to ask questions in this electronic environment.