Of course, this type of program puts a great amount of responsibility in the learners' hands. Students who are not accustomed to an independent learning approach can easily become frustrated. Since learners study the majority of the time by themselves and have less peer interaction than they would in a traditional classroom setting, they can end up feeling isolated. For this reason, programs that offer distance learning options need to think carefully about what kind of support strategies they have in place for their students. The traditional classroom model affords instructors and learners with the opportunity to have plenty of contact time.
Students come face to face and interact with each other.
A community is created by the mere fact that a group of individuals come together with similar learning goals. When this model is replaced by a different delivery system, whether it be computer or video-based, and students no longer see each other on a regular basis, we are left to put on our creative hats and figure out how technology can work in our favor. There are a number of strategies that can be applied for creating a support system for a distance learning program. We have implemented the following strategies to retain our distance learners and give them the support they need. The instructor meets with each student for 15-30 minutes each week to evaluate progress, answer questions, and work on study skill development.