Distance learning simply means that you study in a different place from where the teachers are based. So you could be in a different state, county or even country from the tutors who are running the course that you are studying.

This means that you can choose from a wide range of schools or universities and study from your own home without being restricted by location or accessibility. Also most distance learning courses allow you to study at your own pace, which is great if you are in full-time work or have family commitments. In fact the main benefits of distance learning are the freedom and flexibility it gives you in choosing where to learn and when to learn it. In addition to this is that you can also select the way you wish to learn from the various teaching methods employed, depending on your personal preferences.

There are many different types of distance learning and many different methods for teaching distance learning courses. One of the most popular methods of distance education these days is online learning. Online learning, or elearning as it is sometimes called, uses computers and the internet to provide the courses to students. It often also uses interactive web sites, e-mail, discussion boards, online tests, downloadable software and live video presentations to help teach the program and to enable students to complete the course.

Another favourite method of distance learning still widely used is correspondence courses. This is when the course materials and resources are sent to you through the postal service. You simply complete each assignment and post it back to your tutor for grading. This is a great method of learning for those who don’t have access to a computer or the internet and is more recognisable as traditional learning for people who are not up-to-date or comfortable with the latest technology.

Some less used but still viable distance learning methods use audio tapes, which area again posted to you and contain the course information. A few courses may send you TV, satellite or radio broadcasts for you to watch and listen to while others may conduct the entire program through telephone lines. Of course some programs will utilise more than one method of teaching and may well combine many of these techniques together.

As you can see there are many ways in which you can participate in a distance learning course but whichever way you choose the main principle is the same; to have the choice to able to learn whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want.