The surprising benefits of online study

Distance study seems to simultaneously open new horizons and return you to your own communities and contexts with fresh eyes.

Distance study options make gaining a qualification an achievable dream for people who are geographically isolated. But it can equally appeal to people who desire flexibility in managing multiple commitments.

Sandy Miller is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Social Work at BTI. She is a widow with two busy teenage girls and though she lives only six minutes drive from BTI, she has chosen to study by distance.

"Studying online was the only way that I could begin my qualification and still parent the way I want to," says Sandy. "The best part about it is that it fits around my life, rather than life fitting around study. Having access to course material 24/7 means I can totally dictate my study time for what works best for me, my family and my other commitments."

BTI Dean, Dr Andrew Smith says, "Over the last decade we have seen the trend for students who want to study from where they live and work grow significantly. This growth has been particularly evident over the past four years with around 75 per cent of our students studying some or all of their programme courses from a distance."

Can relational, people-helping professions like teaching, counselling and social work really be taught effectively by distance?

"Initially, I was a bit of a skeptic as to how we could do this," explains Andrew. "But ten years on I think I am truly a convert. It's amazing how much attitudes and abilities and technology have changed in that time."

Andrew says that while the initial driver for offering BTI programmes online was convenience and pragmatics, experience has shown that the benefits extend far beyond the convenience factors. In fact, the surprising data shows that BTI students who study by distance are on the whole more engaged learners and often perform better than those who study onsite.

"Some of our onsite students tend to be reliant on being spoon-fed by the lecturer, so they think they can just come to class and that's all they need to do," says Andrew. "Whereas, the distance students have to be more self-motivated and therefore have to manage their time better and read more. As a result they do better."

"I've seen that the distant student group develops an amazing camaraderie online," says Andrew. "I enjoy seeing them come together for intensives. I think the relationships across the distance groups can be as strong as across the onsite groups."

A particularly interesting dynamic that has shifted as a result of distance education is the emergence of a decentralised learning community. It used to be that often students left their own hometown and community and became immersed in the world of an institutional community that formed and shaped them.

However, with distance study, more and more people are being formed within their own communities, contexts and support systems. "That sense of community is more embedded and organic within their own community," says Dr Bev Norsworthy, BTI's Head of Teaching & Learning. "The role of educators now is not to provide that whole world, but to support them as they make connections within their own local worlds throughout their learning journey. Research shows that your relationships with the people in your own life - your church group, your family group, and your communities of support - are just as important."

All things considered, distance study seems to simultaneously open new horizons and return you to your own communities and contexts with fresh eyes. As counter-intuitive as it may appear at first glance, distance study facilitates deep and transformative learning relationships, even if they are long distance relationships.

To read more about this visit www.bti.ac.nz/benefits-of-online-learning