Can Distance Education Really Be Purely Beneficial For You?
The benefits that distance education offers are often the main reason why people agree to it
. Indeed, distance education is convenient, easily available and accessible, and less costly. Besides, it does not interrupt your career and gives you an opportunity to study in several educational institutions at once. But these are only benefits of it. And have you ever heard of its disadvantages? They are no less numerous and you need to know about them.
Cons of distance education: things that could have been hidden from you
It is often the case that people turn a blind eye to the cons of something they like. You need to know the not-so-good side of the coin before you make any decision:
Poor communication. Sometimes, you need to wait for two or three days before you get a reply from your instructor. In addition to this, you will have to spend around 10-15 minutes for writing an e-mail to ask something that could have taken no more than 2-3 minutes in a real-life conversation.
No feeling of involvement or belonging. Online class is nothing compared with the real one where you can present your essay in front of the whole class or where you feel nervous because you may be called to the blackboard. These feelings and experiences are simply lost.
Necessity of technical knowledge. Do not think that using MS Word and a couple of browsers is enough for getting distance education. You may have problems with opening or downloading/uploading files. What would you do then if you have to wait for the instructors reply for 2 days?
You have nothing to compare your achievements with. Unlike the real classroom where you know everybody elses progress, in distance learning you never know whether you are successful or not.
These are only a few of numerous cons of distance education. Remember about them when making your decision.