Distance learning presents as a wonderful solution to the academic needs of those students who are unable to pursue education in regular mode due to financial, geographical or any other constraints. It helps working professionals pursue higher education while continuing to work. However, studying online is not a cakewalk. There are many challenges that a student has to face while studying through the distance mode. In this article, we will go through these challenges one by one and share some tips to overcome these challenges.

Challenge 1: Lack of Communication

The biggest challenge that a student has to face while pursuing a distance learning course is isolation. A student often finds himself alienated from the world. This lack of communication takes a toll on students and hampers their studies. They find it difficult to concentrate as most of their doubts and queries go unresolved.

How to Overcome: Participate in Virtual Events, Interact with Classmates

Fortunately, today distance education doesn’t necessarily mean isolation. There are many virtual events, online classes and expert sessions organised for students. These events present a wonderful opportunity to students to interact with each other as well as the professors and other experts. Furthermore, students get access to discussion forums and chat sessions. They can utilise these platforms to engage in healthy discussions, exchange ideas and address their doubts.

Challenge 2: Ineffective Time Management

In case of distance education, students are mostly on their own to manage their studies. Thus, they often struggle with the perils of time management and lack behind. They miss their deadlines, are unable to take out time for students, cannot manage studying multiple subjects at once and end up feeling overwhelmed.

How to Overcome: Prepare a Schedule, Study in Advance

The best way to manage your studies while studying through the distance mode is to plan ahead. You must prepare a schedule for yourself the moment you enrol yourself for the course. Go through your syllabus, identify the important areas, strategically allocate time for each topic and make sure that you stick to your study plan. Furthermore, it is always a good idea to study in advance and prepare your assignments well before the deadline.

Challenge 3: Lack of Feedback

Feedback is very important to improve your study experience. It helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, it helps you to recognise the various areas of improvement. However, when you are studying in the distance mode, you do not receive feedback very often. Even when you do get feedback on the basis of your assignments and projects, it is delayed. It, therefore, becomes challenging to keep track of your studies.

How to Overcome: Stay in Touch with Your Teachers

To overcome this challenge, universities provide students with many self-evaluation resources such as quizzes, online tests, etc. Furthermore, thanks to technology, today it is possible for students to stay in touch with their professors. Thus, you must maintain a good connection with your teachers and reach out to them in case of any doubt. Furthermore, you can attempt some questions and share them with your teachers to seek their feedback.

Challenge 4: Technical Problems

While studying in online mode, you mostly rely on technology to make sure that you are able to attend the lectures with ease, and can access the study material anytime and for all other study-related requirements. However, technology is always prone to error. Therefore, there can be many instances wherein some connectivity issues might occur due to which your education may get hampered. Furthermore, there might be instances wherein your browser may not support the LMS software.

How to Overcome: Improved Technology Integration

In order to make sure that you do not suffer from any technical issues while studying, you must make sure that you have a high-speed internet connection. Furthermore, check well in advance whether or not your web browser is compatible with the various software you will need during the course. Also, update your browser regularly and use the latest versions only.

Challenge 5: Distractions

It is very easy to get distracted while studying online as there is no professor to keep you in check. You are solely responsible for your studies. Also, there are no classmates who can help you with your studies. In addition to all of this, most of your studies occur online. This means that email notifications and updates from various applications will always be there to distract you from your studies.

How to Overcome: Create a Dedicated Study Space free of Distractions

In order to minimise distractions and study with focus, you must create a separate space for your studies. This space should only have your books and notes and must be free from all the other things. This will help you make the most out of your study time. Furthermore, make sure to keep your phone away before you sit for studying and turn off all notifications on your laptop.

Takeaway

There are many challenges you come across while studying through the distance and online modes of learning. There is a lack of interaction, students often suffer from poor time management, there are many connectivity issues and distance learning is full of distractions. However, you can follow the above-mentioned tips to stay productive and make your distance learning studies effective.