Benefits of distance learning include greater student involvement in classes, cost savings and an increased diversity of the students, because they can hook up to the class from anywhere in the world, Neal said. I got to know more of the students in the distance learning context than in a real classroom. On the flip side, distance learning classes are time consuming, Neal said. Technologically, it takes a significant effort to make sure all of the students have the same access. And, class preparation requires more time.
Distance learning is a time-intensive process.
I think this must be acknowledged in academia. It also is disconcerting not having visual cues that students are grasping what you are teaching, and lecturing must be limited, she added. I found myself as a facilitator. Additionally, distance learning is not a panacea for teaching large numbers of students, as some people have suggested, Neal explained. Increasing the number of students in a distance learning setting may actually cut down on the interaction among students.