Go the distance..........

Hari Sudarshan lives in Poovar, a small village in Kerala. He finished his schooling from a government school in his village and now wants to pursue a Bachelor's degree in engineering. Leaving his aged parents and extensive farm land and moving to a city for higher education, in not an option. Nancy Kapoor, a 34-year-old mother of two in Indore, is in a similar situation.

Leaving her children and husband and moving to another city to study for a MBA degree is just not a choice. Is this the end of the road for their dreams of earning a degree and pursuing higher education? No, the chance to study and earn a degree is not shattered yet. Social responsibilities and geographic restrictions should not stop someone from studying and learning more.
The perfect solution for Sudarshan, Kapoor and others who find it difficult to leave their homes is to study through the open or distance learning system. This is a system wherein teachers and learners need not necessarily be present at the same place or same time and are flexible with regard to timing of teaching and learning without compromising on a quality education. This system plays a significant role for those who live in educationally disadvantaged locations but want to continue their education and update their skills without having to leave their jobs.
Distance education courses, better known as correspondence courses, provide the opportunity to enhance educational qualifications and polish specialised skills. Distance education is a boon as it can be pursued at leisure and helps enhance skills.
Distance education in India is cheaper than a full time degree but provides high quality, well structured learning material. New communication technologies and electronic media have played an important role to improve the quality of education. A lot of universities in India have a section for distance education that present courses in various streams. Distance education institutes in India can broadly be divided into three categories.
First are the departments of correspondence courses in universities and university level institutions. Secondly, open universities that are involved in imparting higher education only through the distance mode and thirdly, private institutions that offer distance learning programmes but mostly for professional courses.
Open universities offer distance learning programs for students across the country. These universities are present in nearly every state and specialise in correspondence or distant learning courses. In the open system, the courses are open to any person who may not possess any formal qualifications. But in some institutions they should have attained the age of 18 years for undergraduate and diploma courses and 21 years for postgraduate courses. Enrolment in some courses is subject to qualifying in a written exam but the admission process and qualifying criteria is simpler than those offered by regular universities.
Distant education institutes offer the course guidelines and recommend a study method once admission is secured in the institute. Library facilities and online information are also available for a few professional courses. One can study the subject according to his or her own convenience but has to appear for the exam or test decided by the university before receiving a degree. Usually test centres are located in different locations across the country but for some institutes students have to visit the campus at least once a year.
With growing technology and improved communication methods people tend to equate distance learning and online education. All online degree programmes can be termed as distance learning courses.
Another classroom concept that has developed as a result of improved technology is the virtual classroom. Ganesh N Prabhu, professor of strategy, IIM Bangalore, explains this, "The virtual classroom has become a reality due to the availability of broadband internet through mobile data cards or mobile phones. Busy executives can now attend live two way programs on their laptops or offices without having to travel to an academic campus. Similarly, faculty can teach in a virtual classroom over a web camera and phone from the comfort of their office.
A typical virtual classroom session involves the professor explaining the concepts on slides with the participant listening on headphones. Both the professor and the slides are seen on the computer screen by the participant who can ask questions on a separate chat window. Virtual classrooms draw the best faculty from across institutes in India and abroad.
Foreign universities also offer online courses and distance education programmes for international students. They provide global learning in the comforts of one's home. Distance education is a step forward in providing higher education and opens a world of learning.