Life is a continuous process on improving oneself. You work out to improve yourself physically, pray and meditate to improve spiritually, and study to improve academically. Learning is a never-ending journey, and it has many benefits, particularly in your chosen career.
Have you been thinking of picking up a textbook and enrolling once again as a postgraduate student? If so, it’s important to know all about the different modes of study so you can find the one that matches your needs and preferences.
What is a mode of study?
Simply put, a mode of study refers to the load of the student. There are many different modes of study, each one comes with their respective pros and cons.
Full-time study
Full-time study is probably the one you are most familiar with and what most people associate any form of schooling with. Full-time study means a student spends the full number of hours per work on their chosen program of study. Nearly all schools offer full time programs.
Part time study
Part-time study, on the other hand, means you spend less than the typical number of hours on your program of study. For instance, if a typical full-time study load requires 18 hours per week, a part time study load would only require 9 hours. Some part-time programs are scheduled at night or during the weekend to accommodate those who have full-time jobs but wish to enroll in the program. Many schools offer programs with both full-time and part-time options to give students the chance to enroll and finish the program.
Online Learning
Also called distance learning. This is perfect for those who want the freedom of studying wherever they want, whenever they want. postgraduate distance learning such as phd online learning and online masters programs provides students with a self-paced program which includes pre-recorded videos which they can watch at their own convenience or links to live video conference calls with their professors. Some online learning programs offer a combination of the two. Online learning gives students the freedom to create a schedule that works for them, and gives students from distant places access to premium education. On top of this, online learning allows full-time professionals to juggle both work and schooling, without having to sacrifice one for the other. Online learning also helps students save on time. Because they can access their classes from any mobile device or laptop, they don’t need to rush from work and brave the Metro’s traffic just to get to class. They can study anywhere they want as long as they have stable internet connection.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is an off shoot of online learning. It combines self-instructional learning materials, traditional lectures, self-assessment activities, assignments, and online examinations.
Conclusion
While there isn’t really a right or wrong answer for which mode of learning is the best, online learning by far provides students with the most flexibility. Professionals do not have to worry about quitting their jobs just to enroll in online postgraduate programs, and schedules can be tailored according to their respective daily schedules. Students also have the options of being a full time or part time student while taking online classes, controlling the number of units (or hours) they need to spend online.