Distance education Opportunities for Working Professionals Distance education came into being as a fill-gap for those who were compelled to discontinue higher studies but wanted to step back once again for further education. The sole purpose of enrolment for a distance learning program was to earn a degree. Over the last two decades distance education has grown in shape and size not only to deliver the flexible-degree-earning mode of learning but also as a prudent academic option for working professionals, who want to earn a degree, while staying on job. Popular universities such as IGNOU record a whopping 3.5 million students on its rolls, pointing towards a steady growth in distance education. There are a number of factors, which have led to the growth of distance learning. Flexibility in learning, job-continuity, affordability, industry-relevant curriculum and accessibility from remote areas make distance education a viable mode of continuing education.
Distance education – why a popular choice for working professionals? With the ever-changing global trends, the current competitive industrial scenario demands better competencies and continuous skills-upgrade at the work place. Continuous learning, help businesses to keep ahead of the competition and equips them to adapt to the changing trends. As the thrust is on employee performance and productivity, through optimal exposure to industry-trends, distance learning courses help them upgrade their skills while maintaining job-continuity. From the employers’ point of view, distance learning helps them to leverage the experience and skills of the existing workforce, without the need to hire freshers and invest in their training. By the end of the degree/program, the employee is well streamlined with the jobprocess and ready to take on the next job role. According to experts, management courses through distance learning continue to be in demand by working professionals. Employees, aspiring for managerial positions opt for short/long-term MBA programs. Recognized universities such as SMU-DE sport a vast student base under the MBA category Credibility/employability of distance learning degree – The technological edge Distance learning courses from universities of repute are treated on par with the regular stream of learning. And for this, technology has played a vital role in improvising the quality of distance learning programs The online medium of delivery has proved to be as effective as classroom-training, with multimedia channels giving students an enhanced learning experience. In addition, the knowledge
resource in this medium is not restricted to the study materials provided by the university. There is an interface for interaction with experts, and academicians to broaden one’s horizons of learning. As in the case of SMU-DE,the EduNxt platform for e-learning helps students access a vast pool of knowledge resources, apart from featuring weekly industry-mentor chat sessions. Through the many avenues of online distance learning, a student is exposed to different scenarios, and case-studies, which strike a balance between practical and theory. Thus distance education degrees are credible and employable, making greater number of students to opt for this mode of learning. Placement services Another key milestone achieved by this stream of learning, further adding to its credibility are the placement services offered by established and recognized distance education universities. SMU-DE, IGNOU and others of the like have tied up with the major employment exchanges of the country to help qualified students land in the right job. Education continuity- for emerging job opportunities Most of the regional universities still sport a vast number of students enrolling for the Humanities courses. History, economics, botany, zoology,physics and political sciences, continue to be in demand along with Masters in Computer Applications (MCA). This can be attributed to the plethora of job opportunities in the online medium (for online writers, tutors, etc) along with the improved quality and up-to-date curricula offered by distance learning universities of repute. As per the statistics of National Knowledge Commission, India, at present has 32,000 colleges and needs three times more than this number. The critical role open universities can play in providing higher education to masses is evident.