Go Back to College

It is important to note that distance learning and true online learning are not the same thing. Distance Learning often involves traveling to a location where you meet with others in a location and the instructor is "beamed in", so to speak, via technology and process known as interactive video conferencing. In situations like this lectures might be done through interactive video conferencing and work submitted online. A completely online program is completed completely through one's computer, online and there is no need for you to go to another location for lectures or meetings. If getting to another location is problematic for you, make sure you check these requirements for coursework. Many universities and colleges have distance learning programs but they are not completely online. As a single mother of four, that would have been an impossibility for me in completing my graduate work. Just something to think about. My degree? M.Ed. in Instructional Technology.

I have to disagree with your definition of "distance learning."

"Distance Learning" takes in all forms of learning outside the traditional face-to-face classroom and is a generic reference to remote learning in all forms. It can include: "online," which is asynchronous and taught solely in an online environment utilizing an LMS ("learning management system" like Blackboard); hybrids - which combine face-to-face with online supplemental instruction; interactive - which is synchronous remote viewing via Polycom or web conferencing for example; and even telecourses - or "canned" courses that are prerecorded and made available as a podcast, webcast, cable cast or produced on DVD and similar media output.

As a "Distance Learning" administrator I've seen our department accommodate all types of learning, but the bottom line is that "online" learning is but one of many choices for the distance learner and thus constitutes only one form of "distance learning."

Agreed. But Distance Learning doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as "online" learning and to one who is a novice, the distinctions need to be made. Distance learning doesn't necessarily mean you don't leave home to attend classes. That's sometimes a key point that needs to be considered.

Dear all, I would recommend Springfield Technical Community College for online courses. With courses like Psychology, Abnormal Psych, Non-Western Literature, Women in Literature, Medical Coding, English Comp I and II, Intro to Computer Literacy, and a variety of other courses, one could take general education requirements and have them transferred to their local university/college. I teach the Phil 334-World Religions course that transfers as a "Global Diversity" to four year universities. I love teaching the course and participants say that it is one of the most integrated, interactive and useful courses they have taken.

I would be delighted to assist anyone on this list with more information, and here is the link to STCC if you are interested in quality online courses at a reasonable price.

http://www.stcc.edu/schedules/online_learning.asp

Best, TUnity

Peterson's Guide to Distance Learning is also a good source for identifying schools with online degree programs.

Just a few notes from a teacher who's taught online English classes in the past: Online Learning Is Hard. I should preface this by saying that I teach writing, which is a process-based, not content-based course, and I teach online as just one option at a major land-grant research university, not an online-only institution.

Online is harder than face-to-face (f2f) because, not only do you have to be very self-starting, but you have to *read everything*. By everything, I mean the stuff that goes beyond the textbook material. Something I could explain on the board in two minutes might take 3-4 pages of single-spaced text to explain in writing.

Some folks take online courses because they think they're going to be self-paced. Unless it says so when you sign up for the course, this is *not* the case. My online students have exactly the same deadlines as my f2f students.

Also, be aware that most teachers of online courses are spread *very* **very** ***very*** thin. From your end of the pipeline, it's just you and the instructor, one-on-one. It can get very frustrating for the student who expects instantaneous answers to questions and emails. From our end of the pipeline, we may have dozens, scores, or even hundreds of students--each of whom thinks he or she signed up for one-on-one help.

Also, make sure you know how you're going to get your textbook(s), and have a way to get them, guaranteed, before class begins. Also, make sure there are no f2f requirements for conferencing or exams that sneak up on you. From Oklahoma, telling you that you'll need to go to a partner school in your area to take an exam seems reasonable to me. On your end, that might be an hour drive in traffic during the middle of your workday. Ask questions about everything!

I'm not saying online education is inherently a bad idea. I do think that a lot of prospective students labor under certain preconceptions that color their experience of online courses, though.

Too true, Daren.

In addition to online instruction being demanding to the instructor, often, when training faculty for online delivery, the technique is emphasized but not the pedagogy - a failing of many distance delivery programs.