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Is
Distance Education For You?
Distance
Education is not for everyone. A successful distance-learning student needs
to be self-directed and have the following attributes:
- Have a sincere desire to learn and participate in
class activities
- Maintain self-discipline and avoid procrastination
- Communicate effectively in writing
- Are self-directed and self-motivated in their
approach to learning
- Have effective study skills and habits
- Enjoy working independently and pacing their own
learning
- Fulfill course requirements in a timely manner
- Ablility to read carefully and follow written
instructions
To
see if you have the necessary academic characteristics to be a successful
distance learner take our self-assessment survey.
Besides
having these characteristics successful distance education students must
possess a certain comfort level with technology. In order to succeed at a
distance education course one should be able to answer "yes" to
the following questions:
Comfort
Level With Computers
- Can you run the applications you need to use on a
computer? This should include any specific applications which may be
required as part of this course.
- Can you create, save and manage files on your
computer?
- Do you know how to install software on your
computer if you need to?
Internet
Access
- Can you access Internet email and the World Wide
Web (WWW) at least twice a week?
- If you do not have your own computer, can you get
to campus to use the computer labs or arrange to use some other
computer at least twice a week?
Internet
Skills
- Do you currently have an email address?
- Do you know how to send and receive email messages?
- Do you know how to attach a file to an email
message?
- Do you know how to "paste" text from a
word processor into an email message?
- Do you know how to receive a file attachment from
an incoming email message?
- Are you familiar with navigating the World Wide
Web?
- Do you know how to download something from the
World Wide Web?
The
more "yes" answers you gave to the above questions the better
chance you have at succeeding at an online course.
Prospective
students considering enrolling in a distance-learning course are encouraged
to take the self-assessment survey
to discover if they have the necessary academic characteristics to be
successful distance learners.
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