Printed materials are the primary source of information. Students are required to be articulate through a written medium. There are few verbal and non-verbal cues. Distance learning provides less opportunity for group interaction, listening, and verbal interactions. It may take 2-3 weeks to get comments back from your instructor.
Distance learning requires as much time as on-campus courses, sometimes more.
Students who do well in a distance course are usually comfortable contacting the instructor as soon as they need help with the course.