Lots of people would appreciate an opportunity to improve their qualifications, but find it difficult to attend a course due to work arrangements, family committments, physical location or various other reasons. For many of them, the ideal solution may be to undertake a course via Distance Learning.

Modern Distance Learning courses are normally delivered via the Internet, making use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) such as Moodle or Blackboard which allows students to communicate with their tutors and their classmates, download learning material, sit online exams and upload completed coursework. But there's still a place for paper-based courses, often described as correspondence courses. Many colleges continue to make this kind of course available, as they are particularly useful to students who have limited Internet access.

Distance learning allows the learner to be in control of as many factors as possible. Learners choose where and when they will study and the rate at which they will progress, what topics they want to study next and whenthey want to be assessed, or even if they want to be assessed at all. Distance Learning is one particular form of Open Learning. Distance Learning means that there is little or no need for the learner to visit the institution providing the course, which may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Many people find that a course which gives them complete control over all the options is too much to cope with: there's always something interesting on TV, a garden needing dug, a dog needing walked or some other pressing task. Most Distance Learning systems support students by assigning them to a tutor who will advise them about various aspects of the course and how best to tackle it. But many decisions, especially the time and place of study, are still left up to the learner.

It can be useful to reflect upon your reasons for considering a distance learning course. Perhaps your job or your family commitments prevent you from attending a normal college course, during the day or in the evenings. Or it may be that there is no suitable course available in your area. Whatever your reasons for considering a Distance Learning course, you should find it an interesting and rewarding experience.

Distance Learning has a number of advantages over conventional courses. You can choose where and when to study: on the train going to work, the half hour between finishing the housework and the kids getting in from school, while your partner is watching a dreadful Australian soap opera or another boring football match - you'll be surprised how many occasions crop up when it's possible to do a bit of studying without curtailing your social life.

Distance Learning courses are well-suited to meeting the needs of overseas students. They give them the opportunity to acquire a UK qualification by studying in their home country, avoiding the costs of travel to the UK and the expense of living away from home.An overseas student can benefit greatly from undertakingan HND in their own country, then comping to the UK for the final year of a degree programme. Successful completion of the HND demonstrates their commitment to study and enhances their credibility as a student - both factors can be highly significant when it comes to obtaining a visa.

With Distance Learning programmes you can choose how to learn: you can try out different methods and practice to your heart's content in total privacy - there's no one to see your mistakes. (You can always go and find someone to tell about your successes!) You can also choose from a wide range of materials: most open learning texts are written by experts in the field, often with many years of teaching experience. They are written in such a fashion that they can be used on their own, without immediate assistance at hand, and they have plenty of activities to keep you interested and stop you from becoming bored.