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Distance learning is a platform that offers equal opportunities for interested learners across the world. Growing student population and the costs associated with maintaining an optimum teacher-student ratio to ensure personal attention, lack of infrastructure to support the student numbers, and dire need of qualified teachers has forced education beyond the realms of brick-and-mortar institutions; be it schools, colleges or universities. People are increasingly adopting home schooling today in several areas due to socio-economic pressures. Distance learning in the form of correspondence courses allows an opportunity to further the educational pursuit. Correspondence Courses Correspondence courses rely on printed material to educate the students. The lessons are dispatched by mail to the recipient’s address once or twice a year, with residential or short-term contact classes conducted to address hands-on training needs, complex lessons, answer questions, and ensure personal interaction with the tutors and other classmates. Exams are conducted at select local centers. Depending on the regional infrastructure, correspondence courses can be very prevalent in certain areas. Technology-aided distance learning, however, has truly defied geographic boundaries, thanks to the advent of the Internet. Personal computers, laptops and other mobile devices have become very popular. Most people either own such a device or can access one from neighbouring Internet cafés or public libraries. Distance education courses are now delivered across the Internet in different media formats ranging from simple text versions to multimedia presentations and online classes, webinars and web conferences that encourage effective interaction among the participants. Online sessions successfully mimic conventional classrooms allowing for discussions, clarifications and knowledge sharing. However, they require both students and the teachers to be familiar with the online learning platforms, and technology to effectively make use of the tools available. Technology and Distance Education Technology has vastly improved the scope of distance education. All learning content available on the Internet is in electronic or digital format. It is important for teachers and students to know how to handle digital content in different formats, be it Word documents, presentations, portable document format (PDF) files, etc. Portable devices such as E-readers and select mobile phones allow access to electronic texts, making it easier for learners to catch up with their lessons anytime, anywhere. Online school portals, college portals, etc. require secure access to browse the content hosted there. Knowing the basics of using these portals is necessary. In addition, familiarity with Skype and other teleconferencing applications and devices such as web cameras, microphones, speakers, etc. are also useful to access video and audio learning resources. Target Learners Correspondence courses and distance learning are suitable educational mediums for anyone unable to pursue conventional learning. Distance education helps overcome any barrier that may stand in the way of learning; be it socio-economic, health related or personal. A flexible, comfortable pace of learning, combined with online interactions with tutors and fellow students, help make distance learning a success for anyone interested in obtaining an education in this way.
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online education, distance learning, correspondence courses, high school diploma,
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