Research the debate about distance learning and whether it enhances the education experience. For example, the federal Department of Education analyzed 99 studies on distance learning in 2009 and concluded that online instruction, on average, was more effective than face-to-face learning by a modest amount.
Ask yourself if you belong to the typical demographics for distance learning. Today, distance learning often caters to older people or nontraditional students who cannot travel to attend college classes, perhaps due to work or family commitments. If this describes your situation, distance learning could be a good fit.
Define your education goals. Distance learning from a community college, for instance, can assist in obtaining credits toward an associate's degree or earning transfer credits toward a bachelor's degree. Other institutions could offer distance learning for credits for more advanced degrees.
Decide how comfortable you are with technology. In the past, distance learning programs have relied on radio, television and even the mail. Today's students using distance learning take tests, write papers, do homework assignments, ask questions and participate in discussions, all by using a computer with an Internet connection.
Learn about variations of distance learning. For example, hybrid courses blend face-to-face interaction in classrooms with online lectures.
Realize that distance learning, especially online education, is here to stay. According to a report in The New York Times, as many as 10 percent of 14,000 liberal arts undergraduates at the University of Iowa take an online course each semester and at the University of North Carolina, first-year Spanish students receive all of their instruction online.