1. You can study anywhere – everything’s online

You’ve probably realized that this was why distance education was started in the first place. You can begin your education at the comfort of your own home, and you won’t need to commute just to attend a class. Everything else is virtually within your reach, and advances in mobile learning predicts that it will even become easier and easier.

2. You can start any time

If you’re worried that you’re too late to start studying online, let us reassure you that it’s quite unfounded. Given the nature of distance programs, learners can usually start at any time of the year. You could begin online programs whenever you want to and even semester-based university programs offer a degree of flexibility for its students.

3. You can start at any level of expertise

Not only could you start at any time of the year, you could start learning online at any point in your life. Whether you’re a career-shifter, a college student, or even a high-school student, there is an online program made especially for you. People over 40’s, busy moms – the list is endless and you’ll find that there is always something being offered.

4. With online study, you’re free to tweak your learning

Though you still need to sign up for the courses, as an online learner you’re given the freedom on how you will go about completing the course. If you want to stay ‘safe’ and just do what the course requires, that’s ok, but you also are free to pursue your interests and go beyond the program content. (Don’t worry, you’ll get extra credit for that)

5. You can pace your studies however you want

Online courses are mostly done by employing modular content. This just means that you are free to slow down or accelerate your progress however you want it. If you’re too busy with other stuff, you can relax and take things slow. If you want to earn your degree faster, then no one’s stopping you from devouring mounds of content.

6. You can personalize your study space

Since you’re not required to go to a classroom, you can prepare your study space anywhere and anyway you want. If you want to study in your bedroom – that is, while on your bed – then you’re free to do so. Want to munch on chips and watch TV while taking an exam? If the type of exam permits it, then you’re well within your rights.

7. You can end anytime – and choose how to do it

Online learners can start any time and are free to end the course in whatever way they want to. For example, you could have your resume evaluated and ask for life credit experience, thereby shortening the time you need to complete the course. You could take a certification test and get further credit units – and so on.

8. You can choose your support group

If you don’t want any help doing your online course, then that’s fine. No need to attend additional lab classes or course meetings. On the other hand, help will always be provided. Online facilitators are there to provide support at any time, while email and SMS are real handy if you’re too shy to ask. You can also choose how to be contacted. Too busy? You could sort out your email later. Need to clarify instructions on the fly? Chat and video conferences are there for you to employ.

9. Everything is there, 24/7

Since your course materials can be taken or downloaded online, there’s virtually no problem getting your resources at anytime. You can’t ever miss anything; lectures, assignments and notes are just there for the taking.

10. You’re free to work with a group

If studying alone makes you lonely, there’s always you’re classmates to collaborate with. Yes, you still have classmates and given the conveniences of the Web, you could easily collaborate with them regarding virtually anything you need help on. Ain’t if perfect?

One such approach to the study and management of one’s personal learning space is that of the Dunn and Dunn’s Learning Styles model. This model assumes the existence of 5 main factors that affect one’s preferences when engaged in learning tasks: (1) environmental, (2) emotional, (3) sociological, (4) physiological, and (5) psychological. This learning styles model also tell us that how we study is as unique as who we are: no learning style is better than another. Knowing this, you could find ways to make the most out of your online education. Let us tackle each in turn and understand the main points of each category.

Environmental factors – Are you comfortable working in quiet solitude, with an uncluttered table in front of you and the air conditioner in full blast? Or do you study while sitting on your bed, stereo blaring and with just a hint of the evening breeze blowing from your window? These variations speak of only one thing: that there is a combination environmental factors that makes it conducive for you to study. Your environmental preferences could be tweaked according to the type of sounds you hear, the type of light you study by, the temperature of the place you’re studying in and the actual design or lay-out of your place of study. No preference is deemed more effective, only that it follows what you are comfortable with when you do your studying. Whether you like to study on your bed, in the study room or just outside your front porch, your place of study is all up to you.

Emotional factors – Other factors are also in play when customizing our learning styles, one of which is the emotional component of a learning task. For example, do you like rewarding yourself after finally finishing a hard project, or is it important that you find a project interesting before you start on it? How you answer this question reflects your preferences about how you motivate yourself with regards to learning tasks. One’s learning style is also varied in terms of how responsible a person is and in terms of how much structure they would want when being assigned a task. Do you want to have step by step instructions to the project you were assigned to, or would you prefer that you be given enough leeway to experiment on the procedure? We also have to consider how persistent are we when it comes to finishing projects: do we finish something all in one go or piece-wise over a couple of days? Knowing one’s learning style in terms of emotional preferences could go a long way in one’s online education.

Sociological factors – One’s learning preferences might also vary in terms of how many people we are comfortable with when engaged in a task. Do we prefer group work over solitude, or is it more enticing to be working in pairs? Online education is a very mixed lot in terms of sociological factors, and it pays to know how we would like to go about in studying online. For example, if we’re the type who wants collaboration, then we could join online communities that are in line with the topic we are doing. For people who like working by themselves, online work would be just fine as it is.

Physiological factors – People say that eating while studying is not really recommended, and that we should stay put in one place when finishing a task. Not so with the Dunn and Dunn learning styles model: every variation is an accepted learning style. Case in point, there are 7 physiological elements that we could vary in terms of our study preferences: hearing, touching, viewing, experiencing, intake, time, and mobility. If we like to hear music, what kind of music do we want for our studying? Do we prefer watching videos over reading about a subject? Are we the type to munch on chips (i.e. intake) while studying? Do we like moving around when engaged in a learning task? Are we night owls or morning people? These are the physiological variations to one’s learning style, and one thing we have to remember if you are to maximize your distance learning benefits.

Psychological factors – Last but not the least are the psychological factors that affect our study. Are we global thinkers (i.e. seeing the forest before the trees) or are we detail-oriented, analytical thinkers? Do we like planning before starting on a task or are we the type to just plunge in? Psychological factors deal with the how we frame any kind of learning task, and are very important in how we motivate and structure our learning schedules.

Knowing our learning styles is the first step in creating a conducive environment for online study, and is also well worth the investment. Can you see yourself in the examples we provided? Be sure to share your particular learning style in the comments page, your contributions are welcome!