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Different Ways of Learning

As part of choosing a learning opportunity you need to consider how much time you will be able to spend studying. Not all students can fit full-time study into their lives. You may want to try out some shorter community courses first to see how you get on, although many do run during the day.

Colleges and universities have designed many of their courses to be studied full-time, but there are a growing number that can be studied part-time, in the evenings at weekends or via distance learning. The wide range of options means that most people will be able to find something that fits in with their lifestyle and commitments

Full time or part-time?

The advantage of full-time study is that you can concentrate most of your time on your course. Sometimes, however, full-time study isn’t possible because of family or work commitments or financial constraints. In this case, part-time study may be the best option.

Some part-time courses are offered largely as distance learning packages, such as those offered by the Open University. Others will offer a mix of weekday or evening lectures, or sometimes Saturday sessions. You may be required to attend college or university during the day alongside full-time students. You should contact the colleges and universities for more details

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Open and distance learning

If you would have difficulty attending face-to-face lectures and tutorials at a college or university you might want to study using distance learning materials with tutorial support. Distance learning can be done in places and at times to suit you. You do not necessarily need to attend classes, although these may be offered. Your learning materials will be provided in a range of media, and may include written course books, audio cassettes and videos, or online information and activities accessed via a website. You will learn independently, at home or perhaps in a library. You will have assignments that you send in, which are marked and posted back to you with written feedback and constructive notes. There is often an exam at the end of the course Distance learning can be done part-time, to fit in around work or family commitments.

The largest provider of distance learning is the Open University, but other institutions also offer courses using distance learning materials. In many cases, as with the Open University, distance learning courses are open access, which means that you do not need formal qualifications to be accepted on to a course.

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Work placements

For some subjects it is important to try out working in that area, so you might have a work placement as part of your course. The college or university will normally help you find an individual workplace for a specific amount of time. In this way, you will widen your experience of the practicalities of a subject, and get a better feel for the ways in which it applies to the outside world. This can also help increase employment opportunities.

Sandwich courses

Some courses are taken part-time in blocks of concentrated study-time. This could mean studying for a block of a few days each month, or for a block of a few weeks during a year, or perhaps for a whole term. Sandwich courses are often linked with work, so that you spend a set amount of time in a job and another period of time at college or university.

Study abroad

Some courses, such as, language courses or international business courses may include some time abroad. You will study overseas for a set of time, possibly only a short time but possibly for up to a year. You need to think about this eventuality before embarking on a course that may lead to international study

What next?

Now that you have explored some of the issues related to choosing a learning opportunity you may want to think about whether you would like to gain a qualification?

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