What is distance learning? The benefits of studying remotely

We went through a lockdown and almost all the perils of Coronavirus pandemic. In many ways, we are still going through movement restrictions. Every sector is bearing the brunt of slowness due to scant scope available. Educational sector is no exception. People are accustomed to work-from-home culture. And educational institutions have started online classes. Distance learning is not just a wholesome doorway to pursue our favourite educational program online but also a need of the hour.

What is distance learning?

Distance education is the type of education in which the pursuer might not have to be physically present in the institutional site. In other words, we learn, analyse, compare and qualify in the preferred stream online without being at the institutional campus, an exam centre or university site. Distance education mostly takes place nowadays on the internet, a mode accessible worldwide for a vast student population. Students can prefer learning at their home or in a local library.

What factors are driving distance education as a prominent force? 

The seismic improvement in technology and its influence in the world are the two main reasons why education has become more approachable than ever. We are no longer a small part of the bricks and mortar chores. We are now a significant part of the technocratic future where virtualized environments are replacing the techniques of communicational exchange. This virtualization drives each sector deeper into reaping every affluent benefit. The education sector is one of the main sectors lucidly benefited by virtualization.

Distance education is a modern-day environment virtualized to accommodate teachers and students who are physically distant. Online education has been quickly infiltrating each medium taking optimal advantage of the availabilities. It’s due to online education that the worldwide system remains afloat even in the straits like Coronavirus and lockdowns.

Benefits of studying remotely:

• Students are readily exposed to the most sophisticated instructional technology:

The benefits post the upfront investment in online literature are invaluable. Once the online structure for a program or a set of sessions is built, both teachers and learners can access it multiple times. Fixing the schedules online involves a very less scope for time wasted on unnecessary stuff like travels. It enables the learners to explore the information readily and in an autonomous way. The users can start detailing the information available. The teachers, on the other hand, can sample and promote effective behaviours using video templates. It most importantly fosters the creativity and scope to engage the users with lively narrations and graphics that connect on a personal level. Students become more accustomed to the most advanced instructional technology. It shows that even before a student enters his/her professional life, he/she is sensitized to the virtual technology.

• Studies organized from anywhere and anytime:

We aren’t restricted to a strenuous routine of travelling from home to institute and back. We are learning from anywhere on an online platform using unrestricted access to our favourite course. We can enrol for a program offered by an international institute and access the course material. We are entitled to obtain a degree from an institute located thousands of miles away.

• It curtails hundreds of known and hidden costs:

We are allowed to access the program and its study materials at an affordable price. The price we pay for an online program is much lower than an upfront investment in an on-campus program. The students looking for a cost-effective solution to their educational needs can effortlessly enrol in an online program. Both institutions and students can save dozens of open and hidden charges. The institutions can redirect the saved money on various improvements whereas the students can enhance the quality of living with the costs curtailed.

• Online education is a friendly way to enhance critical analyses:  

Technology and its usage every day can promote critical ways to think and overcome challenges in the learners. These skills are significant in the 21st century and specifically in the technocratic decades ahead. The regular and scheduled usage of tools like Google Docs can foster critical skills in students and help them grow more independently.

• Audits in real-time environments:

The teachers can regularly monitor the involvements of the students and how they are progressing. The students, their participation in various discussions and forums and the time taken by each student on various activities get regularly audited. The teachers can study the students’ devotion to reading, interactivity and even master each concept after studying it.

• Employment and education without any pauses:

Distance education is a boon and a dream coming true for the students who want to earn while they learn. Students can devote considerable time both to their academics and their employment. This mode of education is a significant tool to promote sensitivity and responsibility in students at an early age.

• Towards the world full of a better study and life balance:

With the virtual technology in progress, the students can devote ample time to other activities like sports and family. We aren’t restricted to the routine commutation and are no longer spending money and time travelling and grappling complicated traffic. All the people involved in online studies can enjoy a better emotional and interactive health with nil to negligible barriers.

Lesser costs, no wastage of time and resources, no expenditure on hidden expenses and a healthy lifestyle free of disturbances are the direct advantages of online education. The online education is actively contributing to our physical, emotional and economic health currently. The students aren’t exposed to the unknown infectivity of a contagion. The educational system is set out to become more responsive due to the rise of online education.