Understanding distance learning

Ranjan K Baruah *

Many students ask me about distance courses or open learning. As there are many institutes offering courses under distance mode, so, many students enrol themselves who do not attend regular universities or colleges. We must underrated what is distance course and is it same with regular courses or there are some differences.

Distance education or long-distance learning is the education of students who may not always be physically present at an educational institute. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school/college via post. Today it has changed and along with distance mode now it also involves online education.

The University of London was the first university to offer distance learning degrees, establishing its External Programme in 1858. Distance Education “is a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both.” In other words, distance learning is the process of creating an educational experience of equal qualitative value for the learner to best suit their needs outside the classroom.

With the recent trend of technological advance, distance learning is becoming more recognized for its potential in providing individualized attention and communication with students internationally. It is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aims to deliver education to students who are not physically “on site” or at campus.

This mode of education has been popular in India too. We are aware that Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system is a system wherein teachers and learners need not necessarily be present either at same place or same time and is flexible in regard to modalities and timing of teaching and learning as also the admission criteria without compromising necessary quality considerations.

ODL system of the country consists of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), State Open Universities (SOUs), Institutions and Universities offering education and includes Correspondence Course Institutes (CCIs) in conventional dual mode universities.

With the dissolution of the Distance Education Council of the IGNOU, the regulatory power on ODL is currently vested with the University Grants Commission (UGC). Degrees and certificates from recognised universities are valid but first choice of the students should be regular courses as we learn more from regular courses than via distance mode.

Students from regular campuses get more priority than students passing out from distance learning institutes when it comes to job mainly jobs. Students may also appear in civil services examination even studying from distance mode. Aspirants must look at the affiliation of institute before taking admission by distance mode. We shall write more about the difference in our next edition.

Updates:

The Government of Brunei Darussalam has announced the scholarships to foreign students for the academic session 2019-20 which is tenable in Brunei Darussalam. The details of the scholarships are available on the websites of the government of Brunei at www.mfa.gov.bn . The last date for application under this scholarship is 28th February.

Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India invites applications from the Indian nationals for the New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarship 2019 in the Masters and Ph D level. Last date for sending application is 28th March.