Educational Institues Ready To Drop ‘Distance’ Learning Programs

April 20, 2007

Online education has matured into an incredible industry that thousands of consumers have taken advantage of in order to complete their education in a timely manner. Their are a multitude of advantages associated with online learning, the flexible nature of distance learning and convenience are the main reasons why adults flock to the world wide web for their degree programs. Are these modern types of learning courses best for you is a vital question you need to ask yourself, however for many these school of education programs work well with their lifestyles.

Recent On line Education News:

The Internet and other new media developments are changing the very nature of management education offered thru a ‘distance’ education model.

So much so that some of the leading global institutes that are engaged in distance learning courses are ready to drop ‘distance’ from their nomenclature itself. Financial Times (FT), in his report on Distance learning (published on March 19) quotes James Fleck, dean of UK based Open University college Business College (OUBS) saying: We are trying to drop the term ‘distance learning. I don’t think it accurately portrays what OUBS does.’

Rapid proliferation of reduced rate and ubiquitous communication technologies likes Internet, mp3 players, and Broadband networks are connecting students and faculty easily and frequently, notes the report. The Report cites that Strathclyde Graduate School of Business in Scotland has renamed its distance learning MBA as the Flexible Learning Programme.

Distance learning and e-learning providers in UK and US are mixing many communication tools and creating a hybrid model that combines the best of communication technology and personal interactions. They argue that better nomenclatures for their courses can be ‘Ubiquitous learning’ or ‘Personalized learning’.

In India too many e-learning providers like NIIT Imperia and Hughes Systems are offering course with tie-ups with leading B-schools that offer dual benefit of new technology and face-to-face dialogue. Given the benefits of technology and massive demand for quality management education, rise in technology-supported management education is expected to continue in future.

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