What is distance learning?
Out of the Covid-19 chaos came a newly born universal culture of “remote working”, starting from hybrid office hours to fully remote jobs, and now degrees. Keep on reading to find out what distance learning is, as we discuss the pros and cons of choosing to do your degree online.
What is Distance Learning?
Distance learning is a way to study fully remotely, and it is also known as online learning. It’s not available at all universities and only certain courses are available to study remotely due to the adaptations needed to be able to run a fully online course.
Such courses don’t require you to attend university physically, as all learning materials, lectures and assignments are done through an online platform, such as Moodle.
There is usually a standard graduation ceremony for distance learning students that allows people the opportunity to finally meet in person and celebrate together, however, it is optional to attend as your certificate can be sent through post.
Many big universities in the UK such as the University of Portsmouth, University of London, University of Edinburgh and many more offer remote courses, however, practice-based subjects are usually excluded, such as medicine, dentistry, engineering and more.
The pros and cons of distance learning
Distance learning courses might be attractive for different reasons. For international or long distance students it might be a way to save money and not go through the trouble of moving across the world or country.
It is conventional not only because you save on relocating and finding accommodation, but the tuition costs are usually significantly lower, so it’s essentially a great way to get a degree for a fraction of the cost.
This type of learning might not suit everybody. While it saves you from having to move out of your home, and especially for younger students, eliminates that aspect of homesickness and having to be living independently, the studying process does require a lot of intrinsic motivation and commitment. It can be very difficult to find your own pace and routine as structure is almost completely taken out of the equation.
Apart from the set lecture meetings and assignment deadlines, distance learning students have the freedom to choose when, where, and how much to study. That can be very beneficial for some because it allows them to juggle other life commitments such as jobs and children and for others not so much as it requires a certain amount of proactiveness in order to complete assignments on deadline and not fall behind.
There is also the question of “feeling a part of the university” since distance learning students miss out on all sorts of classic university experiences such as sharing a dorm, making new friends, freshers fairs, student parties, unions, societies, and more.
Studying fully remotely can have an element of social isolation and loneliness to it purely because there are no physical face-to-face interactions since these are replaced by online meetings, but that’s not to say the universities won’t make an effort to make you and everyone else feel included.
Remote students have digital access to most of the on-campus support resources, and there’ll often be group chats and special newsletters to keep you updated. As a distance learning student, you are also always welcome on campus and to use campus facilities when you’re around.
Is it right for me?
If you’re looking to save on your degree, having a look at distance learning courses is a great way to go about it, as long as you’re not too bothered about missing out on the social experiences that university life has to offer.
There are many benefits such as the freedom to create your own schedule, but also downfalls like not being able to meet all your professors or colleagues in person. I would personally recommend noting down your priorities and expectations, as each person has their own reason for attending university, and use that to guide your choice.
