|
If you are new to distance education, the following sections may help you understand what it is like to take a course via distance learning, and whether it is appropriate for you.
Overview of Distance Education
Distance education is teaching and learning offered to students in remote locations, including their homes. Courses may be delivered synchronously (on a set schedule similar to on-campus courses) or asynchronously (on an open, flexible schedule). A distance course may include a requirement that students and instructors meet once or periodically in a physical setting.
On this website, a "distance education course" requires no more than two face-to-face meetings at a specific time and location per term. Students might be required to come to Gainesville - or other location - for an orientation, final exam, lab, or project presentation. Other exams, video conferencing sessions or meetings might be required at specific times, with options to participate from several locations.
A "distance education program" might have additional location requirements - such as an on-campus orientation, hands-on training sessions, residency hours, or a graduation ceremony. Degree programs usually have more of these requirements than certificate programs, but in either case, the face-to-face meetings at a single time and location may not account for more than 25% of the program's curriculm.
Therefore, whether taking a single course or completing a formal program, distance education students can stay
in their hometown and hold a job or raise a family while working toward
a degree or professional certification. With this freedom to learn at a
time and place of one's choosing comes the added responsibility of
self-motivation.
Distance education students will not have the same access to
student resources or the social experiences as students attending the
University of Florida in Gainesville. Not being in the same room
as the professor does not make the course any easier. In fact,
instructors may give more assignments individually or in groups
to compensate for the lack of direct supervision.
The following pages are provided to help determine whether distance education is right for you:
Characteristics of Distance Education »
|
Student Resources