Why Distance Education Continues to Flourish
A 21st Century Technology Tool for Adults and Continuing Education
Distance education is here to stay and continues to flourish as schools understand the wants and needs of their ever growing 21st century customer base – adults. As the world continues to move forward, adults must maintain pace with all the latest advances in knowledge and job skills for their careers. These same adults are also constrained with full time employment, meeting family commitments, and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life.
To meet the needs of adults desiring to continue their education, distance education provides the answers to their professional and personal commitments. Distance education is often referred to as distance learning and online education. Regardless of the terminology used, distance education is designed for adults with busy schedules and need flexibility for completing continuing education courses.
Because the 21st century job market is increasing specialized and complex, distance education provides many advantages for adults who need to continue their education for career sustainability. Adults who do not take advantage of distance education opportunities will be left behind by those adults who have recognized the potential.
Expansion of Distance Education
Distance education makes logical sense, especially in today’s fast paced technological society. Almost everyone uses a computer and the Internet on a daily basis. Many adults are as comfortable with online technological tools, as others are with using the remote control to change the channel on a television.
This is why distance education continues to expand every year. Colleges and private schools are taking advantage of the interactive multimedia way many adults learn today. Besides distance education:
- makes economic sense because in many cases it is cheaper than attending a traditional college. Students completing courses online often avoid having to pay many fees assessed by schools. For example activity fees, which most adults do not use campus facilities anyway.
- does not require the adults to quit their full time employment and miss out on family events.
- allows adults to remain on job longer and obtain the privileges that come with job seniority.
Flexibility of Distance Education
Distance education has become the optimum method for completing continuing education courses today. Adults are no longer constrained to a set schedule for classes at a local college that are inflexible for the working environments that many adults are faced with today.
The down side of the technological advances is that now employees are available to their employers outside the traditional eight to five workday. This is why a rigid class schedule is often a cause for not enrolling in continuing education courses.
Even many businesses have embraced this strategy for training their employees. To save money and reduce the time employees are not at work, employers arrange for their employees to attend required continuing education courses online from work.
The flexibility of distance education allows:
- adults to complete a continuing education program on their schedule.
- enrollment in part-time programs that are not constrained by a college’s course offering schedule.
- adults to take advantage of financial aid opportunities they may not be otherwise qualified to receive.
- allows adults planning to make a change in careers the opportunity to complete the required education without affecting current employment commitments.
Making Connections with Distance Education
Because distance learning has made continuing education easier, it is here to stay. The new cyber age of the 21st century means that technological literacy is a critical job skill and the technology requirements of distance education indirectly improves these job skills. Because of the advantages of distance education, not embracing this method of learning is detrimental to your career knowledge and earning power.
Flexibility of Distance Education
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