Education is seeing transformations in the way it is delivered every now and then. And, it is a good thing that these transformations keep happening, trying to adapt to new technologies and new requirements. Not everyone can sit in a classroom and learn effectively, not everyone can afford to attend universities and not everyone has time to attend regular college. In a world that is so complex and so busy, sometimes it is just impossible to attend a 9 to 5 classroom session and learn.

That is where distance education steps in and offers to help. Distance education is very similar in structure and syllabus to that of a regular course, the only difference being it doesn’t include a classroom and allows the learner to participate from his/her own location without any time or location constraints. This article will list out both the advantages and disadvantages of distance education and let you decide what’s good for you.

Advantages of Distance Education

• Convenience– You don’t have to follow a time table, you don’t have to attend regularly and most likely take an exam whenever you are ready. This is the level of convenience distance education offers to learners who are willing to learn on their own with the help of online and offline study material.

• Multitasking– Sometimes, we don’t have the time to dedicate all of our time to a particular task, let’s say school here. You might be a working professional or a busy mom or an occupied business person, yet wanting to study and be certified. Distance education is perfect for people like this who are willing to multitask.

• Inexpensive– It is no surprise that college is an expensive deal and if you want to study at the school or university you want, it is going to be more expensive considering the tuition fee, accommodation and every other expense. However, with distance education you can cut down on all of these expenses and find a course or program that is close to the original course or program.

• Value Addition– Distance education is also beneficial for those who are looking at education strictly from a value addition perspective, aiming to improve their skill set or improve themselves. For skill development there are multiple distance education courses available, reducing the need to attend college.

Disadvantages of Distance Education

• No Practical Experience– One of the main disadvantages of distance education is that it is difficult to avail hands-on experience due to location constraints. Thus, distance education becomes a complete no for those courses that are heavily dependent on experiments and labs.

• No Mentorship– Despite having multiple sources and help online, it is not always possible to learn everything by yourself. Sometimes, it is necessary that you have a mentor who will help and support you. Unfortunately, the kind of mentorship distance education offers is not so effective.

• Limited Courses- Owing to the limitations of mentors and location, many study areas cannot be offered as courses through distance education. Thus one might encounter a lot of redundant and stereotyped courses under distance education and fail to find the course they want.