In doing a little surfing around the Web, I came upon a very interesting little article regarding online education. The article is published by the Science Daily and basically summarizes a more extensive study which was conducted by the University of Missouri. This study focused on the elements that are necessary to foster a successful distance learning environment, and those traits that are part of the make up of a successful distance learner. I think, as most of you who frequent my blog and this site probably already suspected, the primary traits of a successful distance learner are basically the same traits as an adult learner in a traditional education program. Quoting now from the article:

“Correlations between learning styles and success in distance education have shown to be inconclusive,” Strickland said.  “However, one common theme reappears: the successful traits of a distance learner are similar to the successful traits of an adult learner in traditional educational settings.”

Here's a link so you can read the full article for yourself:

Despite Popularity, Not Everyone Can Successfully Learn Through Online Courses

The article also outlines how important communication is for a successful distance learning program, and I think we also all probably agree that the same holds true for most things in life: sports, marriage, business, family, et al.