Week 7 - Deakin Uni - Distance Learning

http://www.deakin.edu.au/future-students/online-offcampus-studies/

I think that this online, off-campus method of learning set up by Deakin University is a good idea. As the website states 'Off-campus study (or distance education) is fast becoming the preferred way to combine study with work or family commitments.' This is a good point that has been made because it allows you to work where ever you want to and at a time that you feel is a good working time for you rather than when your timetable states. For example, personally I feel that I can work better later on at night rather than in the mornings, so this online unit for me has been a bit better as I can do my work at night rather than me trying to get up in the mornings and treck into uni and not necessarily being fully awake or alert in the lectures or seminars.

I also feel that because today's society is evolving and there is a major emphasis being placed upon new technologies and new media cultures (such as the UK becoming digital in 2012), this online way of learning is helping to prepare students for what is maybe to come later on in life. Many office jobs now are based around people sitting at computers and doing various tasks, so I feel that this online unit for us is helping us in many ways as for a start its made me more computer aware and its made using computers and website forums and blogs a lot easier to use. So therefore using this scheme, the students at Deakin Uni will benefit as we have benefited.

However, I do feel that f2f learning does have major benefits also, especially with making people interact more on a f2f basis with other members of the course, and also I feel it is easier to get in touch with tutors when you are seeing them on a daily basis in your lectures and seminars so if you have any problems you can ask them directly about it right there and then. Debates and discussions that occur sometimes in seminars will also be missed out on during an online course so this is a disadvantage of courses like the one at Deakin University but overall I feel that this is a good scheme.