Distance Education in the Philippines

Online learning differs in many ways from a brick and mortar college setting. With so much of our lives already taking place on our computers and on the web, it is no surprise how popular online learning has become. Online education offers a more flexible and customizable learning experience for students looking to gain a degree in a non-traditional setting. While there are many advantages and luxuries associated with online education, there are also many missteps students can take in their online learning process. One of the most important (and obvious) differences between traditional colleges and online colleges is the environment in which you do your learning. Online classes are typically completed at a student’s home. For this reason, it is essential that online students designate a study space for themselves. Your learning environment plays a huge role in how successful your learning experience is. Follow these three tips to create a successful online learning environment.

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This is a guest post.

There’s no denying how strong of a foothold distance education has taken in the past few years as it constantly gains popularity – and with good reason too: distance education is allowing students all over to engage in a learning experience that they may not otherwise have been able to manage. November 7-11, 2011 has been deemed National Distance Learning Week in an effort to celebrate and educate people on the benefits of distance learning.

“National Distance Learning Week recognizes the impact distance learning has in 21^st century education across many market segments including education, healthcare, government, and corporate. It affords distance learning practitioners the opportunity to celebrate and explore an essential part of today’s changing society.” Marci Powell, President, USDLA and Global Director of Higher Education, Polycom, Inc. Read the rest of this entry »

People often get the wrong impression when they hear about distance education and online degree programs. They suspect online education initiatives lack the legitimacy of classroom-style instruction, citing the computer as an improper tool for meaningful learning. But such a bleak depiction of online education could not be further from the truth. Distance learning and online degree programs offer compelling and substantive lessons in a wide array of subjects meant to engender a real education upon the student. These online institutions offer higher education degrees in subjects including Communications, Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Information Technology among many others.

So why consider distance education and Online Degrees? These programs give students of all backgrounds a real chance at earning a degree or key certifications that may have been inaccessible before. In this struggling world economy, the more education you have, the better chance you have at securing a career-level job.

Empower people to work and attend school simultaneously

If you’re working a job and managing a family, there’s no way you’d have time to enroll in classroom style courses at a higher education institution. Whether raising kids or putting in extra work hours to pay the bills, fully employed heads of the household would certainly have more pressing priorities precluding them from attending regular classes. This is perhaps the greatest argument for distance education: taking courses online at your own pace allows a student to study and complete work on their own schedule. To be sure, a student completing courses on their own schedule may not earn their degree as quickly as would a full-time student attending courses on a college campus, but they also won’t lose any money from leaving their job.

Education accessible to atypical students

Distance education and online degree programs defy the assumption that college students consist of young adults in their late teens or early twenties. The ease at which people can access online education institutions has attracted students of all ages, inspiring those who didn’t have the resources to attend college at the typical age to do so now from their computer. Those older than the typical college student often resist attending colleges for fear that their age somehow prevents or handicaps them from getting their degree. Others simply complain that they’re “too old” to go back to school. But as I’ve already discussed, online education allows students to learn at their own pace; if you have the itch, there’s no reason not to go back and earn that English degree you’ve always talked about.

College Education no longer a luxury

Most importantly, online education acts as a great equalizer in the field of higher education. Only a few years ago, college education existed as somewhat of a luxury afforded only by those who had the time and resources readily available. Distance learning allows for accessibility to higher learning that crosses all socioeconomic boundaries. Potential students need only assert themselves and apply to a legitimate online education institution in order to begin their path to higher education.

About the Author

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.