Can anyone tell me the disadvantages of Distance learning?

[timmy]

Hi there,
I intend to soon join an online college but was wondering if there are any disadvantages to distance learning classes I should be aware of before I join.
Thanks a lot!!

[gcalvin]

The main thing is that you are mostly on your own. Yes, you can e-mail, bulletin board, and IM with your instructor and other students, but it's not the same as a live classroom setting. I imagine most of us on this forum prefer it that way, but if you really need to find a disadvantage to distance learning, I think that would be it.

-Gary-

[lrgaul]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]This all depends on what type of person you are. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages to distance learning. However, what is a disadvantage to one person can be an advantage to another person. Here a few ideas that you may want to consider as you are making your decision.

1) Distance learning may require a higher level of self discipline than a more traditional degree path. Due to the fact that distance education was designed for busy people who may not find it feasible to complete college without a distance option, there is generally a significant degree of flexibility. As a result, the distance education student will likely need to structure his or her own path to success with very little guidance from others.

2) Virtual classrooms deliver courses in a very different format than a face-to-face classroom. For example, most of the time communication is asynchronous and written, rather than verbal. People who are predominantly auditory or kinesthetic learners may not gain as much from online delivery as they would in a traditional classroom. On the other hand, visual learners, particularly those who are also good writers, may find that they prefer the online delivery method for reasons beyond the convenience factor.

3) The availability of online delivery is also a challenge. Specifically, not all colleges offer a distance education option. The colleges that do, may not offer the specific degree that a student is hoping to earn. As a result, people who plan to complete a degree through distance education may find their options to be more limited than their traditional counterparts.

4) The majority of colleges that offer distance education as an option are also open enrollment institutions. This can be perceived as a disadvantage to the student who wants to spend his or her class time (online or otherwise) with people of similar intellectual ability. In other words, open enrollment tends to equate to varying levels of ability in the classroom, more so than in institutions that have specific standards or guidelines for the students who enroll.

5) The brand name of the college may be an issue for some people as well. It is unlikely that Harvard is going to revert to entirely online delivery anytime soon. Here in the Twin Cities, the majority of our colleges offer at least some online classes as part of its degree programs. However, you are not going to find a degree entirely online from the University of Minnesota. Certainly if the brand name of the college is important to a prospective student, he or she may be better served to apply to a B&M University and expect to attend primarily traditional classes.

6) Distance education generally offers a much lower level of social interaction. For the most part, adults have been able to get more than enough social interaction through their jobs, family, and friends. However, students who are very young, or just have poor social skills may gain much-needed "polish" by attending a college with traditional classrooms.

I think this is a fairly comprehensive summary of the potential disadvantages to distance education. I tend to subscribe to the belief that distance education should be limited to adult learners, with only a few exceptions. While the disadvantages to distance education are there, I think that they are far less profound for an adult who has already developed solid social skills and work experience. Also, bear in mind that many of these issues can be overcome by carefully exploring your options. For example, I know that Penn State University now offers degrees completely online and it is not an open enrollment college, which would discount the disadvantages that I listed in #4 and #5. You have to be at least 24-years old in order to be accepted into Penn State's online program though. I suspect that this is because Penn State also believes that distance education is more or less designed for adults. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[ShotoJuku]

[COLOR="Navy"]No long 15-Week Semsters
No Boring Lectures
No Crowded Dorms
No Homecoming Game
No Keg-Stand Parties
No getting up early for a class
No extra dirty laundry to bring home on weekends
No Dating Worries and Safety Issues
No PT Job for Beer $[/COLOR]


NO WAIT - [COLOR="Navy"]These are all disadvantages, never mind.

Silly student, B&M Schools are for kids! [/COLOR]

[cookderosa]

[COLOR="Navy"]No long 15-Week Semsters
No Boring Lectures
No Crowded Dorms
No Homecoming Game
No Keg-Stand Parties
No getting up early for a class
No extra dirty laundry to bring home on weekends
No Dating Worries and Safety Issues
No PT Job for Beer $[/COLOR]


NO WAIT - [COLOR="Navy"]These are all disadvantages, never mind.

Silly student, B&M Schools are for kids! [/COLOR]

hilarious good one!

[dc67]

I would say one disadvantage is that you get graded entirely for the work you do, where as my wife is going to nursing school and in some classes she gets points for attending class. Also, it is basically self taught so it requires discipline. I enjoy it personally and have had good experiences so far.

Good Luck,

Doug

[Lindagerr]

All of the points sited are important considerations. Each person has to decide what works best for them.

Not all online education is the same either. I took an independent study class from TESC, the only interaction with the mentor was her grading of and comments on my papers. An online version of the same course has different assignments but a weekly discussion board participation required. You need to decide what will work best for you.

[HawkGuy]

I'd say that while not as time consuming as normal classes, you have to actually be willing to sit down and study. You don't have anyone looking over your shoulder and cracking the whip.

[4dkids]

[COLOR="Navy"]No long 15-Week Semsters
No Boring Lectures
No Crowded Dorms
No Homecoming Game
No Keg-Stand Parties
No getting up early for a class
No extra dirty laundry to bring home on weekends
No Dating Worries and Safety Issues
No PT Job for Beer $[/COLOR]


NO WAIT - [COLOR="Navy"]These are all disadvantages, never mind.

Silly student, B&M Schools are for kids! [/COLOR]

Thanks for making 'turning 40' a bit more cool for mehilarious

[PonyGirl93]

Well, as a "youngster" of DL ( ), the only drawback serious enough to have been a potential dealbreaker for me was the lack of interaction with your professors. Sitting in a lecture for a few hours (as long as it was on a topic that interested me), didn't really sound that bad to me. If I could have taken 60 credit hrs of CLEPs and then transferred to a B&M school, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But since that wasn't an option, I opted for missing out on lecture time on stuff that did interest me in exchange for escaping from the lectures that didn't!!! I get to spend one of my post-CLEP years at a community college, though, so I will get some classroom experience

But yeah, that was just me. Most people are super excited to skip all the lectures entirely.