A college degree through distance education is a very effective way to get the training you need without having to disrupt responsibilities you are already committed to. For many adults, learning through distance education is probably the only way a college degree can be earned. But it is not a cake walk and successful distance education outcomes require the student to do his or her part too.

The pace of college distance education can be very comfortable for the online student. The student should also practice time management and avoid letting procrastination habits overshadow good study habits. If you know that you have a problem with time management, there are plenty of resources available on the subject. Time management is really a matter of not waiting until the last minute to do things and keeping a calendar or list of what you need to do. Not all online courses are self-paced. Some are held in virtual classrooms. So you might want to opt for the virtual classroom model if you know that time management will be a problem. You want to do everything you can to make sure that you are meeting all learning objectives for the course and maximize its effectiveness.

College distance education programs rely on technology which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. It is true that today’s computer and media technology provides an incredible advantage in the effective delivery of college online distance education courses. However what is the main advantage can also be the main disadvantage. No matter how effective a college distance education course is designed, it is rendered useless by technology failures. These failures can include internet connection outages, server failure, software failure, natural disaster, malicious acts, and any number of events adversely affecting delivery of the course content. In the days before computers, college distance education courses were sent through the mail. If a course packet was lost, it was simply a matter of mailing another copy to the student. Nowadays, college distance education providers are not equipped to switch to snail mail if the need arises. One good question to ask a college distance education course provider is what the contingencies are to any technology failures.

The independence a college distance education course provides can also be a disadvantage to its effectiveness. In other words, a college student will be interested in a distance education course because it can be an effective way to study without having to quit a job or travel long distances to attend school. However, the ease at which one can get in is about the same for getting out. There is a potential for high dropout rates because the overall tone of advertising for these course can seem non-committal in nature. Some students can be susceptible to an “easy-in/easy-out” attitude. Additionally, some online courses have very lengthy time limits to complete and the result is that they never get completed due to non-existent urgency. You have to ask yourself what kind of a self-starter and self-maintainer you are so as to be effective in your coursework and finish the job.