Bookmark This Page

Delicious Google Bookmarks Stumbleupon Digg BlinkList Ma.gnolia Reddit Yahoo My Web

Is Distance Learning Right for You? The Skills You Need to Succeed

More people than ever before are trying to decide whether to pursue distance learning or a traditional college experience. As attractive and as convenient as it sounds, not everyone is a good candidate for distance learning. There are certain qualities and skills that make some students better at this type of learning than others. If you've been considering distance learning, take a few moments to read about the skills you'll need to succeed.

Self-motivation

This one skill alone will separate the successes from the failures and it's perhaps the biggest issue to consider. When you participate in a distance learning course, you'll be given assignments to complete and you'll have tests to take. But what you won't have is somebody checking your progress daily or even weekly. Let's face it - much of the schoolwork you'll be given isn't going to be what you'll consider 'fun'. Can you motivate yourself (as often as it'll be necessary) to get the work done? If you can, then you possess one of the most important skills necessary to succeed at distance learning.

Procrastination

This is another big pitfall and it's something that can impede your success with distance learning. If you're a procrastinator, you'll need to change if you plan to succeed. Don't think for one moment that you will have less work than you would if you were sitting in class. You probably won't. In fact, you'll probably be surprised at the amount of information you'll be required to digest. If you can schedule your time so you can work, play and study without waiting until the last possible moment to do your schoolwork, you'll have a better chance at succeeding.

Reading comprehension

When you're in a classroom setting, you'll be lectured, you'll participate in debates and question and answer sessions, you'll watch videos and you'll participate in other types of interactive learning. With distance learning, most of your time will be spent reading lots of complex material. If you have good reading and comprehension skills, you'll have a better chance of succeeding. If these skills are weak, this could hinder your progress.

Easily distracted

If you're the type of person who is easily distracted, you'll have to make sure you have a suitable place to study. When you are studying, you cannot allow yourself to be distracted by friends, family, phone calls, television, the Internet, anything. If you cannot resist all these temptations you will never be able to absorb and comprehend the material you're trying to learn.

You're a social animal

A big part of school is the social interaction. Whether it's lunch at the student union, sorority parties, all-you-can-drink happy hours, heated debates inside the classroom, or just plain old people watching, you will not have any of this with distance learning. If you're the type of person who won't be able to function without the social interaction that happens on and around campus, you'll need to reconsider distance learning. If you're okay without it, then distance learning might be right for you.