OFF CAMPUS STUDY Help

In the last few decades the way information is being shared has been changed a lot, freely sharing of information and pervasiveness of the internet have created various new opportunities for teaching and learning (Martin. F, 2012). There is a growing concern that such technology provide a convergence between on and off-campus teaching and learning however this convergence takes some strong consideration of the limitation among the off campus learners Ferzaneh (2011).

Recently the adaption of new learning systems like LMSs (learning management system) such as black board, open-source and moodle software are becoming more and more common (Martin. F, 2012). For various reason the concept of distance education has been strongly criticized as an unacceptable method of teaching, for any subject. The distance learning concept of education has also been criticized from the staff perspective mainly because a lot of advance planning is required, which from the employers point of view is generally considered as inferior form of education (Askeland & Payne et al, 2007) Such practice of education does not provide enough opportunities for students to participate one to one, along with other limitation on opportunity for oral communication, leading to social isolation for students (Askeland. G, 2007)

Undoubtedly the future of any society, the overall quality and efficiency of its people is highly dependent on the education system of the country Ferzaneh (2011). The overall appearance of distance education is connected with the changing conditions of economical, social and technological aspect, every country need better literacy and more comprehensive education, for this particular reason distance education provides the opportunity to everyone to learn throughout their entire life (Kiryakova. G, 2009). Enrolment of students in both on campus and off campus series has continued to increase steadily over the past few years, for distance education it is important to have technology like internet and computers at both ends. The introduction of new technologies such as radio and TV set a new stage for the development of distance education. Over time many institutes adapted the use of audio and video materials along with printed materials, which helped in visualization of education and increased its effectiveness.

The third stage in the development of distance education is generally based on the development of digital technologies and usage of Internet as an educational environment. The interaction and communication among participants in education are widely used and as a result we observe more effective learning (Kiryakova. G, 2011). Majority of the students are usually enrolled in on campus education program due to various advantages that it has to offer, however enrolling in on campus education program does have some disadvantages attached to it, one of the main disadvantage that can be highlight here is the time restrictions that it places on working class people. Those who are working full time or have other important commitments are the ones who cannot manage to take out any time at all out of their busy schedule. Since all the lectures and workshops are conducted in class and during the day time, this places a big issue on the working class people. Fulltime on campus graduates are required to attend a total of approximately 110 hours of lecture/skills classes per semester as well as they have to participate in other group discussions, which is hard to manage for people who are working full time Trotter.(2010).