Correspondence courses and continuing education are two different viable learning alternatives that serve individuals in two ways. Both are applicable in different academic fields and are offered by most universities and colleges. The percentage of students who register for these two educational fields is approximately equal to that of regular college going students.
Correspondence courses, also known as distance learning, are accomplished by exchanging study materials between a teacher and a student physically remote from each other. The student gets textbooks, lecture notes, lesson plans and problem sets from an experienced instructor, and completed assignments are sent back to the instructor for grading. Correspondence courses are quite affordable. With the introduction of web technologies, these courses have become a reliable means of study. There are many prominent institutions offering correspondence programs on the Internet. All the high school correspondence courses are directed at the provincial or state level. The university level courses are administered by the university itself or by a group of universities. Some of the top ranked colleges and universities, including California State University, Columbia University, University of Texas, Brigham Young University and Western Illinois University offer correspondence courses.
Continuing education is a form of education that is either followed by a degree, or exists without the purpose of taking any degree. Conducted by post-secondary institutions, continuing education programs are short-lived, extending only for one or two days. Some programs may last for weeks. Mostly, these programs give importance for topics of personal interest, such as ethnic cooking, writing, gardening and photography, or employment related topics including painting, welding, plumbing and construction.
Many institutes offer continuing education programs through correspondence. Programs in finance, law, property law, real estate, appraisal, insurance and funeral directing are among them. These courses are treated similar to the degrees obtained through regular institutional courses. Continuing education through correspondence programs will be more convenient for individuals who are unable attend the lectures arranged periodically.
By: Thomas Morva
© 2010 Masters in Education
