Kaplan Guide to Distance Learning

Distance learning--that is, taking courses via broadcast television, cable, and especially the Internet--offers many advantages to the student who needs the information and/or degree but hasn't the time for going back to school. Still, this route isn't for everyone. If you're thinking of investing in a self-study course, it's worth checking it out first to find out a little more about the options (audioconferencing? CD-ROM?), distinguishing factors (is the college accredited? How many students per class?) and the pitfalls (how comfortable are you with the computer? How much feedback do you need to stay engaged?). Then, if you decide that such a course is for you, the rest of the guide introduces you to the large organizations and consortia, providing a summary of close to 100 programs, with addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and URLs. There are also descriptions of what's offered, admissions and tuition information, and useful details such as whether credits are transferable, the number of faculty, average class size, and dropout rate, length of session, time commitment expected, remote access to their library, and what the grading procedure is. In addition, there are some handy cross-referencing indices listing the programs by academic discipline, by school name, and by delivery system. If you're interested in being efficient and saving time, the Guide to Distance Learning is the first step. --Stephanie Gold