Video Counseling
Myths of Distance Education Busted
There are plenty of students who procrastinate a lot while taking admission in distance education and this happens because of the myths or misconceptions regarding distance learning. Distance education can be the pioneer of higher education in India as it offers accessibility with quality.
However, there are still many students who hesitate in choosing distance learning because of the prevailing misconceptions regarding the quality of distance learning. As more and more universities are coming forward to offer distance courses the quality of education via distance mode is increasing by leaps and bounds. Hence, we decided to bust some myths of distance education so that you can free yourself from all the wrong perspectives and choose smartly.
Myth #1 The Burden Of Understanding The Concepts Is Entirely On Your Shoulders
It is obvious that students are going to think that they have to study on their own as they are not visiting the campus. But this is not entirely the case since distance education got the advantage of online classes. Nowadays, students have numerous options even if they are not attending online classes. Some famous universities like NMIMS, IGNOU, CU, and others offer leverage to distance students by providing online lectures with experienced faculty.
Universities also offer both live lectures and recorded ones for students who were unable to attend at the right time. Henceforth, students need not think that they do not have help in understanding the difficult concepts of their books as this is the Internet era where you can search for anything within seconds.
Myth #2 Online Or Distance Courses Do Not Offer Much Value
This is the biggest myth that distance courses do not hold much importance or they ain’t valuable. The University Grants Commission has the bureau for recognizing distance education in India that checks which college is providing valuable or satisfactory distance education.
According to UGC-DEB guidelines, the curriculum of the distance learning courses remains the same as courses offered via regular mode. The universities which are recognized by UGC-DEB are allowed to provide distance degrees that will be valid everywhere. Hence, online or distance education holds importance just like regular or formal education.
Myth #3 You Cannot Create A Network Via Distance Education
This would not be entirely correct to say that you cannot create a network if you are not going to the campus. Distance colleges offer you ample opportunities to interact with your classmates, professors, recruiters while virtual job fairs, or even to the alumni of your college.
Distance students are even freer than regular students in creating a network as they are free to build a professional network while working along with their learning and can gain a good experience of interaction both in the work area and in the class at the same time.
Myth #4 You Cannot Get A Good Job After Distance Education
This is the biggest myth of distance education in India and it is prevailing for such a long time. Students often feel that they cannot get a good job after the completion of a distance course. But this is not the case because UGC has recognized distance learning courses and the degrees of distance programs hold value just like the degrees of regular programs. Apart from the validity of degrees, distance education helps students in developing the necessary skills that can help them in getting a good job profile.
However, in the beginning, employers did not show much confidence in distance students but as more and more universities are offering valid distance learning courses employers are considering distance students. Distance education is gaining importance especially after the pandemic of 2020 when no one could go out to study on campuses. Distance learning helped immensely during the times of pandemic and hence gained utmost importance now.
Myth #5 I Can Learn At Any Time
This would be such a wrong convention to assume that we can learn whenever we want because distance learning has its own set of standards and norms. Students who have enrolled themselves in any distance learning course need to adhere to the timeline of the university.
There is always a fixed time to attend classes, submit assignments, and give exams. Nevertheless, distance learners get an edge of getting more time than regular students but they cannot be entirely lethargic.
Myth #6 Online Courses Are Not In The Semester Mode
There are plenty of people who think that distance learning courses are only in the semester mode. But the scenario is completely different as there are universities that offer courses even in the semester mode, for instance, NMIMS. Hence, students can study either in the yearly mode or in the semester mode and this decision is based on the university.
Myth #7 Online Lectures Ain’t As Effective As On-campus Classes
Undoubtedly, there can be some courses that are not up to the expectations of many students. But this is entirely subjective because there are many universities that are offering quality distance education with the help of audio-video lectures, modules, and some professors even use analytics to find the problems in the course.
Hence, saying that online lectures are ineffective is completely wrong and a very subjective judgment because it depends on the university you are choosing as traditional classroom learning can also go wrong sometimes.
Myth #8 Distance Students Cannot Interact With Instructors
Interaction is the fundamental part of learning as you cannot learn without interacting with the person who is teaching you. But it is wrong to say that you have to meet personally to build interactions with people, especially in the internet era. Due to technological advancement, students can now easily connect with the professors even without meeting the professors.
