Generally, the student drawn to the asynchronously delivered class will, most likely, share characteristics with the typical distant learning student. The primary role of the student is to learn. Under the best of circumstances, this challenging task requires motivation, planning, and the ability to analyze and apply the information being taught. They must coordinate the different areas of their lives that influence each other - their families, jobs, spare time, and studies. Distant students have a variety of reasons for taking courses.
Some students are interested in obtaining a degree to qualify for a better job.
Many take courses to broaden their education and are not really interested in completing a degree. In distance education, the learner is usually isolated. The motivational factors arising from the contact or competition with other students is absent. The student also lacks the immediate support of a teacher who is present and able to motivate and, if necessary, give attention to actual needs and difficulties that crop up during study. In distance education settings, technology is typically the conduit through which information and communication flow.