Distance Learning

What is Distance Learning?

Distance learning is a way of learning remotely without being in regular face-to-face contact with a teacher in the classroom. In the UK such learning has its roots in students learning through correspondence courses.

• More than 270,000 undergraduate students are taking their first degrees via distance learning, together with some 108,000 postgraduate students.
• In recent years the advent of the internet and widespread use of the computer has led to a huge growth in distantly delivered tuition and study.

At undergraduate level distance learning usually means students engaging with learning materials at home or work.

• These materials are produced by the university, college or learning provider and are either sent directly to the student or more usually today accessed via the internet.
• Tutorial support is provided via a virtual learning environment, telephone, email or other electronic means.
• There may be occasional face-to-face encounters with tutors and attendance at week-long summer schools.

The majority of UK undergraduate students study with the Open University (although many universities offer distance learning programmes); postgraduates study elsewhere.

Why Choose Distance Learning?

The main advantage of distance learning is that it allows you to fit your learning around your work and home life.

• You can usually also set your own pace of study.
• It is your decision as to when and where you study.
• It doesn’t matter where you live – you can gain a degree from anywhere in the world.
• As with a full-time degree, students may find that they gain useful, transferable skills, such as planning and research.
• A distance learning course often costs less than a full-time degree.

The downside is that you will not enjoy the conviviality of being on a campus and rubbing shoulders with fellow students on a daily basis.

• Loneliness and feelings of isolation should be avoided however by frequent online contact with tutors and taking part in virtual forums, virtual help groups and discussion rooms.
• Distance learning providers usually offer dedicated support to their online or distance learning students.

Accreditation

• You can study undergraduate, postgraduate and professional level courses via distance learning.
• Universities and colleges ensure that their distance learning programmes and qualifications are of the same high quality as campus-based programmes.

Women and MBAs

The Facts and Figures

At the point when taking a gander at the admission of ladies onto MBA courses from a worldwide viewpoint, the figure lies at around 30 for each penny, and the moderately couple of ladies that do enlist on the course underachieve when contrasted with their male partners. Specialists at Harvard credit this to two elements: ladies are hesitant to talk up, maybe in light of the fact that they are dwarfed by guys; they would prefer not to show up excessively scholarly, conceivably because of media and social impacts. This absence of accomplishment inside of the course overflow into their vocations as discoveries demonstrate that ladies with MBAs are less ‘successfu’l than men further down the road. Of Fortune’s rundown of the main 500 organizations, females make up less than 3.1 for each penny of official staff. This rate might be more than that of 50 years’ back yet at the present rate of development it would take 475 years before ladies achieve correspondence in the work environment.

The changing demographic of the MBA understudy body and the business world on the loose

The Independent reports that more ladies than any other time in recent memory took the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in 2013, with 43 for each penny of hopefuls being female. The sum conceded on to MBA courses is additionally demonstrating an expanding pattern, 42 for each penny of the 2012 University of Pennsylvania’s MBA partner were females; figures for different schools are by and large on the expansion. From a global understudy perspective, MBA courses situated in the UK are starting to pull in a greater number of ladies than men, as reflected in the 2012 understudy admission at London Business School. Of LBS’ Chinese admission, there was a higher number of ladies than men.

Shouldn’t something be said about MBAs later down the line in their expert lives? Gem Wu of Expedia, has her own conclusion on the matter, “A MBA course is short – maybe a couple years,” says Wu, “and once ladies have experienced it there isn’t any bolster system.”

Gem was instrumental in setting up MBA Women International because of the absence of backing. The association looks to furnish ladies with the expert improvement and systems administration chances to guarantee vocation achievement. It’s initial days for MBA Women International, yet we do see advantages to a ladies’ profession, in the event that they have a MBA. The Forté Foundation, a consortium of organizations and business colleges focused on offering ladies some assistance with achieving satisfying vocations in business, report that the individuals who have a MBA appreciate a 55-65 for each penny increment in their compensation five years’ after graduation. AMBA underpins the finding that ladies with a MBA do for sure appreciate effective professions, expressing that female MBA holders have a solid vicinity in technique and arranging, showcasing and deals, and research and fund commercial ventures.

Despite the fact that the extent of ladies enlisted on MBA courses and with a vicinity in the meeting room is still lower than their male partners, it appears things are gradually evolving. With MBAs, for example, Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo and Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook making ready, the rate of progress might increment. That is also the way that organizations with a more prominent representation of female initiative see a 53 for every penny higher profit for value (Forté Foundation).