All forms of education can be broken down into three main components: planning, instruction, and evaluation. In the form of education that most people experience, pedagogy, it is the teacher’s responsibility to define each of these components. Through distance learning, which is majorly based on the principles of andragogy, the learner has more responsibility and influence in defining these components.
It is extremely beneficial to the learner to not only be active, but to be the main decision-maker in the planning stage of their education. For this to be effective however, it is important for the learner to first carefully reflect on his or her prior knowledge and experience, needs, interests and goals. Only the learner himself is able to take inventory of his prior knowledge and experience and therefore decide what he is lacking in order to reach his goals. With the guidance of an advisor, distance learning allows the student to choose what courses will be relevant to his vocation and complete them at his own pace. According to the widely accepted information processing theory, learners are more likely to retain information when it is made relevant and meaningful to their interests. When students take an active role in their own learning process, it is more likely that they will be motivated to complete assignments and reach their goals.
Because distance learning does not include any teacher-lead classes or meetings, it is majorly the student’s responsibility to learn the material and complete the assignments on his own. However, distance learning encompasses many resources that can assist the student in this. There are many technologies on the internet such as libraries, videos and web conferences that can provide a wealt ...