Educationist urges students to take on distance learning

Many students have blamed lack of time and resources for failure to pursue postgraduate studies or complete their courses at higher institutions of learning.
However, education experts say learning remotely without being in regular face-to-face contact with a lecturer is one of the best alternatives to upgrading, because it is convenient and cost friendly.

“In distance learning, the relationship between a learner and the lecturer is immense because learners will always be in touch due to the constant contact. So learners acquire skills and professionalism at their convenience,” Dr Joyce Bukirwa Sessanga, the Dean of the School of Education, Humanities and Sciences at Nkumba University, told Jobs and Career.

According to Dr Sessanga, whose department implements the distance learning programme at the Nkumba University maintains that the process of learning gives one a chance to plan for study time since most of the time is utilised to make ends meet at the respective work places, adding that it is not restrictive and people undergo reskilling at jobs which helps them to consolidate their abilities at work.

New programmes
She was one of the speakers at the launch of the Post Graduate and Masters’ programmes at the Entebbe Road Based institution.
The master programmes include education, management and planning, science in counselling psychology as well as master of science in journalism.
The arrangement comes to help individuals specialise in their respective fields with high level qualifications.

“We anticipate that the programme would help to produce better work in the various workplaces and also provide training ground to the upcoming professionals,” says Dr Sessanga.
According to her, the growing need for experts in the country pose a challenge to academic institutions to initiate new and tailored courses to suit the country’s needs in terms of skills.
“We are working to cultivate competence, confidence, creativity and moral character in the teaching and learning process because that is what employers look for in recruiting professionals,” said Dr Sessanga adding that arrangements have been finalised to attach students to various workplaces for experience before they qualify.

Student teachers, aspiring journalists and their counterparts pursuing guidance and counselling will be attached to the various places to spend part of their class time for exposure and create contacts for better understanding of the skills they are pursuing at the university.

About distance education
• Change or enhance your career prospects wherever you are - rural, metropolitan or overseas
• Fit study around work, social or family commitments. You can even study at home
• Vary your study load to suit your schedule - full-time or part-time
• Develop and demonstrate your autonomy through self-motivation and self-direction of your degree
• Have time to review your study materials without having to rush off to the next class.
As a distance education student, you:
• Can study wherever, whenever and whatever you want. It’s your choice
• Don’t have to worry about being at lectures and tutorials at times that may not fit in with your lifestyle
• Have the convenience of course materials being delivered to your home or office
• Usually study two subjects per session, with each subject requiring around 8 - 10 hours of study per week
• Have both full-time and part-time study options often available so you can vary your study load to fit in with your schedule - from one subject per session to four or five.

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