Distance Learning Education, Essay Example

An Excellent Alternative for the Busy Student

The days when a student had to attend a traditional brick and mortar institution of higher learning, such as a local community college or a state-based university, in order to obtain an education are long gone, thanks to what has become the future of higher education–distance learning or attending college and/or university classes via the World Wide Web as a long-distance student. Nowadays, for most people seeking a higher education, distance learning helps to “remove the traditional boundaries of time and location” by offering more flexibility related to choosing a timeframe in which to take classes online. Distance learning also allows a student to remain in the comfort of his/her own home without having to worry about driving back and forth to school and lets the student choose where and when to study the required course materials (Online and Distance Learning, 2013).

According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Instructional Technology Council, part of the American Association of Community Colleges, the demand for online educational resources continues to expand “at a rate that is much greater than the demand for on-campus, face-to-face courses.” One unfortunate result of this trend is that student enrollment at major US colleges and universities have dropped considerably, due in part to the costs associated with attending a traditional brick and mortar institution and the current recessionary economic status of the US (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012).

Statistically, this survey revealed that enrollments related to distance education online classes expanded by almost 7% between the fall of 2011 and that of 2012. This demonstrates that the popularity of online long distance learning classes continues to increase as a result of some surprising numbers in an earlier survey made between 2007 and 2008 when online enrollment stood at 22% of the entire number of students seeking a higher education in the US (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012). Thus, it is clear that current and potential students are beginning to see the advantages related to distance learning; this also holds true for the US Department of Education and other educational agencies which have begun to offer financial student aid and federal grants to those who choose to obtain their education online (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012).

Perhaps the most important area related to distance learning is that it saves time and money by being able to work from home in a setting of one’s own choosing. Most students have pointed out in other surveys that distance learning offers them a good deal of flexibility as opposed to a traditional brick and mortar school. For example, distance learning allows students to complete their coursework from any location, such as through a local library internet connection or by using their own personal computers at home or even a portable laptop computer. Distance learning also eliminates the need to commute between home and school which helps to “cut down on costly gas or public transportation” (Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning, 2014). Lastly, distance learning allows students to take their time related to completing their degree and of course makes it easier to manage one’s responsibilities related to employment and tending to the needs of a family (Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning, 2014). Altogether, distance learning appears to be the trend of the future related to obtaining a higher education and as technology increases the efficiency of the World Wide Web, distance learning will remain as an excellent alternative to the traditional brick and mortar concept.

References

2012 distance education survey results. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.itcnetwork.org/component/content/article/48-library-articles-abstracts-research/87-2012-distance-education-survey-results-.html

Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. (2014). Distance Learning Net.Retrieved from http://www.distancelearningnet.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-distance-learning

Online and distance learning. (2013). Colorado State University. Retrieved from http://www.online.colostate.edu/onlinedistance/distance-learning.dot