A few days ago, a friend asked me whether taking a course via distance education would be a good way to go and if it were at par with lectures conducted in a classroom setting. In particular, we were taking about taking a masters degree from UP Open University.
I started earning units from UPOU in October 2008. The pages of instructional materials to read, pace of the discussions, number of individual and group assignments and exams were the same vis-a-vis the same course in a normal university. The major differences include being not able to meet your faculty in-charge and classmates personally but instead interact with them through chat, email, discussion boards, forum and especially designed virtual classroom; and not having to physically go to school on each session but only during examinations. The whole framework of such system is the use of technology in providing education to learners despite their distance or location. Internet and hypermedia technology have been helpful tools that ushered in a more convenient way to study. Learners can study anywhere they are at any timezone as long as they have the tools necessary for them to communicate and participate in the discussions as well as to submit the assignments on time.
What I love about studying through distance education are:
- Flexible schedule. Learners can learn at their own pace and own time as long as they can follow the prescribed weekly schedule.
- Offers the convenience of being able to study anywhere. What could be more convenient than that?
- Money-efficient - no need to commute to go the school and hence no transportation cost, and no need to spend on lunch breaks
- Tuition fee is about the same
However, distance education is more suitable to adult learners since they are able to demonstrate basic competence in computer /hypermedia technology; and are responsible for their own learning
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