How does home study work? This is a question we get asked a lot. Learning from home can be a daunting experience for people who have only ever studied in a classroom. Pupils who’ve previously studied in a school or college will be used to having multiple layers of support around them, helping to do things like arrange exams and set up study timetables. Many first time home study students worry that none of this support will be available to them.
If you study with a course provider like Study at Home you needn’t worry, but it is certainly true that learning from home will always involve you taking on more personal responsibility for your studies.
How Does Studying at Home Work? – Study Timetable
This pattern is something that really defines home study. More flexibility, more responsibility. Another example of this trade off lies with your study timetable. If you were at school or college, you would expect to be provided with a timetable outlining your lessons for the week. You might also expect to be given homework deadlines. With home study you will not have this level of structure imposed on you. Sound good? Many students initially love the freedom that distance learning bestows on them. However, if they aren’t careful it can become a trap.
If you have no formal deadlines or planned hours of study it can be very easy to start putting things off. It can give yourself the illusion that you have almost unlimited time to play with. The answer is to make a plan, and stick to it. Study at Home will provide you with a tutor, who will help you to plan your studies if you ask them. The great thing is that you’ll be able to tailor your plan to fit around work or family commitments, and it’s easier to move things around if you need to. But it won’t work if you aren’t self-disciplined. So, how does distance learning work when planning a study timetable? The answer is very much up to your own level of discipline.
How Does Distance Learning Work? – Tutors
Speaking of discipline, the way you interact with your tutor is another area of difference between a distance learning course and a classroom. In a classroom, your teachers will not only be there to tell you things, but to make sure that you’re listening. They won’t be shy of sending you to detention or giving you a good telling off if they think you’re slacking. Some students need this kind of motivation from their teachers, but others find it de-motivating. If you’re in the latter category, then you might find that distance learning suits you a lot better.
A Study at Home tutor is not there to bully you into doing anything. If you don’t want to press on with your studies, then they won’t chase you. It’s up to you to get in touch with your tutor and start the conversation. Therefore, to make the most of your online learning experience, you need to make sure that you make the effort to maintain a good relationship with your tutor. If you don’t use your tutor, and just wait for them to chase you, you’re wasting a hugely valuable resource.