Picture yourself in a typical Dojo: You and the other students stand in rows facing your Sensei, listening as he outlines a certain technique or principle. If you have a question you raise your hand, and when it comes time to demonstrate your technique your instructor or a senior student is there if you need help. Simple enough, but what if youre taking a distance learning program?
Q: For distance learning programs, how is rank usually obtained?
A: Most often, the instructor will require that you send a video tape of yourself demonstrating the techniques before providing you rank certification. Some organizations provide the rank based on the honor system, providing the certificate when you contact them and tell them you feel ready to be promoted.
Q: What do I do if I need help with my technique or have a question about a principle?
A: The most obvious place to seek assistance is from the course's instructor. Be sure to establish a personal relationship with the instructor: Contact him or her routinely and be proactive in seeking advice. Many quality distance learning programs also have help desks to assist students. Many courses have an online forum where you can post your questions and have instructors or other students provide their input and experience.
If youre taking a course that doesn't provide support, youre on your own. But that doesnt mean you cant get help. Try searching the Web for information. The Internet is a vast storehouse of information. Help is out there, you just have to find it. I don't have a distance learning course but I offer free pre-testing or technique analysis to anyone that needs input.
Q: Is it easier to cheat in distance learning courses?
A: Cheating has always been fairly easy for the determined person, there are plenty of places where you can buy a certificate and a belt for under $30 with no proof of experience or previous rank. You can print off a good looking certificate using tools that come standard with most computers. However, cheaters mostly harm themselves. When/if they start teaching (most of them do it just to boost their ego and can pretend to be a know-it-all on the net.) if their students are intelligent they will automatically recognize them as a fraud.
Q: How do I know how I'm doing in a distance learning course?
A: In a well-run online course, students should receive regular feedback. Feedback is the most important thing in learning a skill. Since you are all alone with no classmates to compare your skill to, you need to have an outside opinion. Video tape your practice sessions regularly so that you can watch yourself and compare yourself with your instructor or send the tape to your instructor or if that costs too much, find someone that will give you feed back for a smaller fee. Even if you are not required to get feedback or skill assessment with your course, get it anyway. You cannot honestly claim rank just because you feel ready to wear it, because you will have a biased opinion and either judge yourself too easily or too harshly depending on your character.
Skill assessment in a distance learning environment is great for the distant learner. The examiner is able to play the video tape in slow motion, in reverse and as many times as he needs where as in testing someone in person they student would get worn out if the instructor tried that.
The draw backs of a distance learning course is often the lack of support and the curriculum is often watered down a little bit in order to fit it in the allotted time. Due to the fact that you aren't attending a class you might find it difficult to find a training partner to practice the techniques with. Having a training partner is absolutely essential to progress in any training program.
The benifits of a distance learning course is that the information provided can be viewed over and over until the information is firmly established in your mind. In person the instructor will more likely focus on the one aspect of the technique that he feels is most important and then move on to another technique, on video you can watch one part of the technique and then rewind and then place your focus on his footwork, then his weight placement, then his hand placement, then his hip rotation, so on and so forth. In class if you keep asking your instructor to go back and do it again so that you can see each aspect he'll probably get annoyed. With video you can go full speed, half speed, super slow motion, and reverse. When you tape yourself, you and your instructor can do the same thing in order to best judge the quality of your technique. I feel that this is so benificial that I video tape myself and my students in class so that we can see how we look from the third person perspective.
What are other benifits and draw backs that you see?
Q: For distance learning programs, how is rank usually obtained?
A: Most often, the instructor will require that you send a video tape of yourself demonstrating the techniques before providing you rank certification. Some organizations provide the rank based on the honor system, providing the certificate when you contact them and tell them you feel ready to be promoted.
Q: What do I do if I need help with my technique or have a question about a principle?
A: The most obvious place to seek assistance is from the course's instructor. Be sure to establish a personal relationship with the instructor: Contact him or her routinely and be proactive in seeking advice. Many quality distance learning programs also have help desks to assist students. Many courses have an online forum where you can post your questions and have instructors or other students provide their input and experience.
If youre taking a course that doesn't provide support, youre on your own. But that doesnt mean you cant get help. Try searching the Web for information. The Internet is a vast storehouse of information. Help is out there, you just have to find it. I don't have a distance learning course but I offer free pre-testing or technique analysis to anyone that needs input.
Q: Is it easier to cheat in distance learning courses?
A: Cheating has always been fairly easy for the determined person, there are plenty of places where you can buy a certificate and a belt for under $30 with no proof of experience or previous rank. You can print off a good looking certificate using tools that come standard with most computers. However, cheaters mostly harm themselves. When/if they start teaching (most of them do it just to boost their ego and can pretend to be a know-it-all on the net.) if their students are intelligent they will automatically recognize them as a fraud.
Q: How do I know how I'm doing in a distance learning course?
A: In a well-run online course, students should receive regular feedback. Feedback is the most important thing in learning a skill. Since you are all alone with no classmates to compare your skill to, you need to have an outside opinion. Video tape your practice sessions regularly so that you can watch yourself and compare yourself with your instructor or send the tape to your instructor or if that costs too much, find someone that will give you feed back for a smaller fee. Even if you are not required to get feedback or skill assessment with your course, get it anyway. You cannot honestly claim rank just because you feel ready to wear it, because you will have a biased opinion and either judge yourself too easily or too harshly depending on your character.
Skill assessment in a distance learning environment is great for the distant learner. The examiner is able to play the video tape in slow motion, in reverse and as many times as he needs where as in testing someone in person they student would get worn out if the instructor tried that.
The draw backs of a distance learning course is often the lack of support and the curriculum is often watered down a little bit in order to fit it in the allotted time. Due to the fact that you aren't attending a class you might find it difficult to find a training partner to practice the techniques with. Having a training partner is absolutely essential to progress in any training program.
The benifits of a distance learning course is that the information provided can be viewed over and over until the information is firmly established in your mind. In person the instructor will more likely focus on the one aspect of the technique that he feels is most important and then move on to another technique, on video you can watch one part of the technique and then rewind and then place your focus on his footwork, then his weight placement, then his hand placement, then his hip rotation, so on and so forth. In class if you keep asking your instructor to go back and do it again so that you can see each aspect he'll probably get annoyed. With video you can go full speed, half speed, super slow motion, and reverse. When you tape yourself, you and your instructor can do the same thing in order to best judge the quality of your technique. I feel that this is so benificial that I video tape myself and my students in class so that we can see how we look from the third person perspective.
What are other benifits and draw backs that you see?
I have been looking at different arts (distance learning) that are not available in my area, and most of them seem legit. Your post made me wanna actually check them out further, and maybe join the program. Thanks.
