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Distance Learning and Online Coursework - Page 2

© ML Arthur

4. If you are looking for a degree that gives you employment qualifications, find out where alumni have gone and ask business whether they will accept your degree. If you wish to work in a field like medicine, nursing, academia, or law, this is especially important.

5. Take one course as a sample before enrolling in order to make sure that distance learning is right for you. If your school does not offer this option or if you can't afford it, you can even try the free courses at http://www.blackboard.com. While perhaps not as good as the online courses you will pay for, they will enable you to sample the way distance learning works and find out if you are motivated and structured enough to make yourself do the work, as well as if you can learn without classroom interaction.

6. Make the most of every opportunity your course provides. Do ALL the reading. Attend all offered chats. Post your ideas to the discussion boards. Do every assignment, even if some are optional. Communicate questions, comments, and ideas to the instructor via email. Talk to other students as often as possible. Since you are lacking the classroom interaction of a traditional course, you will need to make the most of all other opportunities.

7. Finally, try to pay by the course or the semester, and not for the whole degree. This way, you will be free to transfer to another institution if you are unhappy at your first choice. You will also be able to transfer to a traditional college, though you may find that some or all of your coursework does not transfer with you (especially at highly selective schools).

For more information, look at the Suite101 site on distance learning, run by George Garza, at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/degr...

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