Cao, Ruepert Jiel D.

MAS131 – A21

PROS AND CONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING

“Pag wala kaming magawa noong araw, pinanonood lang naming yung ulap sa langit.”

That was the answer of my beloved grandpa, Tatay Ador (Itay as I fondly called him), when I asked him

what they did when there was no TV yet. I imagined him just sitting outside our house, watching the

skies for hours. I told him that I can’t even last an hour of brownout, much more having nothing to do

for hours. Of course I can read books, talk or play with family and friends, or just sleep my time away.

But I cannot last without doing anything. Having grown in the modern era, I admit that I cannot last a

day without opening my laptop.

Having said that, studying in Manila is a blessing, but going there is not. The school has always left me

preoccupied with assignments and projects. I like it when there is always something to do; at least I do

not worry how I am going to use my time. Going to school is hellish as I waste four hours a day going

back and forth from Taguig to school. I cannot rent a space in a dorm because that’s another waste of

money. Sometimes I really wish I can enroll in an Open University.

Distance learning has been a talk for some years now. I think it was the University of the Philippines that

opened the first Open University in the country. According to Wikipedia, distance learning is education,

with the aid of technology and instructional methods, for the people who are not or cannot be physically

present in a classroom. Being online is the basic way of obtaining distance education. Another is

studying and completing modules that will be the basis of exams and the grades of the student.
It is a basic principle in distance learning that a person can get the education that he deserves anywhere

anytime. If you can have your materials (videos, lectures) or face your professors online, you practically

do not have to go to a classroom just to learn. You can learn while you are having breakfast or while in

bed. What a comfort! One can actually enroll in an Open University in any country. You do not have to

go and live in USA just to study in an American University!

There are other advantages that the Distance Learning College Guide ([Link]-learning-college-

[Link]) enumerates. It says that what a person has learned in the Internet from an Open University

can be easily translated into experience. It is also pointed out that you learn when you want to learn, so

attendance is not so much of a problem. If you still feel sleepy by 7:30 AM, then study later.

Maybe the greatest strength of distance learning is the accessibility of the information. It’s spoon-

feeding, really. All lectures and materials are given as a module. It is accessibility plus comfort. That’s the

strength of distance learning. Distance Learning College Guide said that a research conducted concluded

that there is no significant difference with distance education and in-class learning.

I think they’d say that. Of course when it comes to basic knowledge and technicalities, there is no

difference with what you learn. But surely there are many things that you cannot just learn online.

Open Universities do not offer the complementary information that a professor can give his students.

For example, a distance learner and an in-class learner both know the technicalities of DVD Authoring.

However, the distance learner can get neither the stories of experiences nor the attention that a

traditional professor can offer or share. A distance learner cannot nurture his social skills in a solitary

environment (especially if he is an undergraduate). We can say that it can be useful for people who work

at home (which is slowly becoming a trend) but we cannot deny that getting accepted In jobs or dealing

with clients need social skills. Team projects and efforts need social skills. Online collaborations are very

hard to conduct. I personally cannot catch up when the gears of discussions are rolling fast!
Another thing for me is that distance learning ruins a person’s sense of responsibility. It is not to say that

distance learning is for the lazy people. No. Many people who avail distance learning are those who are

very busy and are willing to learn. What I am trying to impart is the fact that you can learn any time

anywhere means that you may tend to cram and study at the last minute. Filipinos love cramming. What

if you don’t feel like studying for the week? Without discipline, a distance learner can definitely go

astray.

Aside from that, computers offer a lot of temptation. Many students like me find it tempting to chat and

look at Facebook from time to time while doing school assignments and projects (wait there’s a

message!). These things disrupt the learning process and therefore making a person understand less. It

is discipline once again that is needed.

Distance Learning College Guide already listed many more disadvantages of distance learning. It requires

a high cost of technology. Both parties need to have the technologies required to conduct distance

learning. The very least is a computer with internet connection. Live videoconferences require more

technologies and therefore more cost for both the learner and the institution. Planning is also a must so

that things can get done online. There are also hidden costs that need to be paid sometimes, like

shipping of materials and the like. Distance learning is also a very young field, compared to the

universities that had been around for more than 900 years. Not all courses are available in distance

learning. Hands on activities, such as sculptures, live laboratory test and the like cannot be done online.

Aside from that, some employers do not accept graduates of open universities for some reasons.

People knew that this will happen. Distance Learning is an innovation in the field of education. I bow to

that fact. But I think I’d rather travel from Taguig to Intramuros just to learn than to sit down in front of

the computer to study. It will just make me get fatter!

civilization. It is the foundation of the progression of human society, whether good (mathematics, health

care) or bad (global warming). Education is the core of humanity because it sets us apart from other

creatures. Solitary education does not do justice to us social beings. Driving people to be solitary can

mean that a person will also be reluctant to make progress for the society that he secluded himself

from. That way we are destroying the world as we know it. If we learn for ourselves and not know other

people, then we will not experience how to socialize and how to contribute to the society because we

isolated ourselves! Education is best achieved through interaction, not computers.

And as far as the researches are concerned, the disadvantage far outweighs the benefits.