| Jennifer Priory has wanted to be a champion | | | | fits in and I'm not loosing out anywhere, in fact I am |
| swimmer all her life. For the last two years of training | | | | able to fill my requirement for education at a faster |
| she has got out of her bed at four o'clock in the | | | | pace than my friends which will enable my entry into |
| morning, trained for three hours, and continued on to | | | | further education sooner which I am also planning on |
| school for her daily lessons. This way of life has | | | | doing by distance learning." |
| caused a considerable amount of stress on her | | | | This effective study pattern is not just for those that |
| parents and family, and taken her away from her | | | | need a different 'time' schedule. Distance learning is for |
| social life which most consider important in the | | | | the masses too. The benefits of creating your own |
| development of their children. As Jennifer had | | | | schedule simply give people the ability to get on with |
| homework to complete when she arrived home from | | | | their lives and fulfil their education ambitions. People |
| school, her studying continued after school, and as she | | | | with careers that are established have the ability to |
| was getting up so early in the morning, she was ready | | | | further themselves without disruption to their lives and |
| for bed and asleep by eight o'clock in the evening. She | | | | their employer's contracts. Most employers will support |
| didn't see her siblings or father throughout the week, | | | | their employees with training bursaries for these |
| and felt more lonely as time went on. Her parents | | | | courses because it offers them the benefit of utilising |
| knew something had to change. | | | | their employee's new knowledge during working hours. |
| Jennifer's mother did some investigating, and came up | | | | Emma Jones, the Director of Hugo Alan, a headhunting |
| with a schedule for Jennifer that offered her the time | | | | business in the city of London says: |
| for training, schooling, and a social life. She would be | | | | "Offering employees adequate training programs is |
| able to spend time with her father in the evenings, and | | | | beneficial to all involved..." |
| even participate in some after school activities which | | | | Caroline Needham offers a different point of view. |
| would give her the added bonus of keeping up | | | | She writes: |
| friendships with people her own age. Her solution was | | | | 'The questions were always the same. Do you have |
| 'distance learning'. Some may know this as 'open | | | | wheelchair access? When I get into the building, are |
| learning'. | | | | there stairs to get to the classroom on another floor? |
| 'Distance and Open learning' are forms of education | | | | Do you have elevators? Do you have parking close to |
| which have proven to be as effective as the | | | | the building? |
| education a student receives at an 'attendance' school', | | | | There are a lot of reasons to dread having to find out |
| and because the student is able to take their studies at | | | | about courses to take if you are disabled, and it is not |
| their own time, they are usually able to get ahead | | | | only difficult for those with motor problems. This can |
| easily without having to wait for others to catch up | | | | affect the visually impaired, the hard of hearing and |
| with them. The student is also able to fit other activities | | | | alike no matter what age they may be. |
| into their life with the time they save. Jennifer started | | | | Distance learning has taken the strain out of this |
| this new schedule a few months ago, and has found | | | | experience as the learning doesn't accompany any |
| this time effective schedule to fit in with her life instead | | | | stress. It is a way of gaining a quality education through |
| of her trying to fit in with someone else's schedule. | | | | home study with the support of a tutor, and there is no |
| Jennifer's daily schedule goes like this. She wakes up | | | | requirement of boxing off certain times in your week |
| at seven o'clock along with her siblings. They all have | | | | for lectures, and no requirement of the stress of travel. |
| breakfast and they leave for school whilst Jennifer | | | | Computers have changed the structure of most |
| goes to the pool for training. She trains and is home by | | | | industries, and the education industry is no exception. |
| lunch time. She studies for four to five hours and this | | | | Being able to contact tutors with questions and send in |
| leaves the evenings to her to decide what to do with. | | | | class work through the wonder of the computer has |
| Jennifer is much more comfortable with this way of | | | | cleared the way for people to have their questions |
| studying and says: | | | | answered quickly, and their work graded within hours |
| "Before my mother found out about the 'distance | | | | and days instead of weeks which allow the student to |
| learning' programs that were open to me, my life was | | | | continue on with their studies at a pace they are |
| a nightmare! Getting up at four o'clock in the morning | | | | comfortable with. People need more flexibility and |
| broke into every aspect of my life, and put a strain on | | | | quality for their money and if the education industry |
| my parents. Now my schedule is very much like my | | | | doesn't step up to the mark, they will simply fall behind. |
| brothers and we act more as a family unit. I have time | | | | People have a choice of who they study with these |
| in the morning for training, and if I feel I need to train | | | | days, and they will go with the establishments that |
| more at certain times, the time is there. It is the same | | | | offer them the flexibility they need, and the quality they |
| with studying. If I feel I need more time to study, the | | | | deserve. I study with Oxford College ODL because |
| time is there, and I have personal tutors for all of my | | | | they support me and let me do things my way. I am |
| courses who I can contact for any reason if I find any | | | | an adult and don't need to be told how to run my life. |
| aspect confusing, or don't understand everything I need | | | | Distance learning outlines the rules of what has to be |
| to. But most importantly, I am able to see friends, and I | | | | adhered to, and lets the student make all the other |
| don't miss out on studying time or have to catch up | | | | decisions which never leaves the student with the |
| after I have been away at a competition. I am even | | | | stress of having to change their lives and make usually |
| completing my AS and A2 levels in one year instead | | | | insurmountable efforts to adhere to rules that are |
| of two!" | | | | simply there to make life easier not for the student, but |
| Distance learning is quickly becoming the favourite | | | | the establishment they are learning with. Distance |
| way to study by students wanting to get ahead and | | | | learning is a modern, responsible, and quality way of |
| parents wanting to see their children excel in their | | | | learning, and it is definitely the way forward for |
| studies and other activities. Melissa Roe had the same | | | | everybody and not just those with special needs.' |
| problem with 'time'. Her 'attendance' school didn't afford | | | | Distance and open learning are slowly becoming the |
| her the time to pursue theatre classes and go to | | | | biggest recognised option for study by the public |
| auditions as was her dream, but her parents didn't | | | | because of it's lack of restraints. This option is |
| want her to give up her studies well aware of the | | | | recognised by the British government to be worth |
| fierce competition in the area she wanted to pursue. | | | | offering funding and advancement so much so that |
| Distance and open learning offered her the freedom to | | | | they believe it will offer more than fifty percent of |
| immerse herself in something she loved without | | | | students that wouldn't have studied further than their |
| skimping on the study hours. She says: | | | | GCSE level of study a place in the next five years. |
| "By rearranging my schedule, I was no longer having | | | | The government sees this as progress in the field of |
| arguments with my parents about taking me out of | | | | education, and offers the scheme a great amount of |
| school for auditions and extra daily classes. Everything | | | | leeway. |