Studying online can be a difficult thing as well we know.  I certainly don’t to disguise the potential pitfalls of the method.  Yes there are incredible benefits in being able to set your own pace and take control of your educational future. But for some the very freedom that non classroom based education offers brings with it a certain isolation.  You don’t go to class. You don’t have to accountable to a teacher if you’re late handing in an assignment.    It can be intimidating and lonely especially for people setting out who might not otherwise be used to it. 

That’s why from the very beginning ADL has hugely emphasized our use of tutors on our courses.  There may not be a formal teaching guiding a class on our programmes, but our students benefit from the assistance of mentor as much as they need during their courses. 

Tutors and teachers of course have a huge history stretching way back into the past.   Alexander the great was, according to history, taught by the famous philosopher Aristotle who, reportedly once said that those who teach the young should be honoured more than they who produce them.  The former teach them how to live whereas the latter merely give them life.  In essence claiming that teachers were more important than parents.

Now I’d stop short of supporting that claim myself, parents are pretty important in shaping the minds of our children and making sure they’re able to cope with life.  Certainly potty training shouldn’t be the job of primary school teachers for instance.  Nevertheless, unless you choose to follow precisely in your parents footsteps, sooner or later you’ll need to step out of the shadows and find your own path.  It doesn’t matter what a fantastic rocket scientist with physics your mother is if you really want to be a zoo keeper. 

That’s when you need a mentor, skilled and knowledgeable in the field you have chosen to go in.  Somebody who can provide guidance when you are stuck, correction when you make a mistake and affirmation when you progress step by step towards the end of your qualification.   To that end, ADL recruits mentors from people who are active in the fields in which they teach – industry experts who have usually at least half a decade of work experience behind them as well as the academic background needed to provide quality tuition. 

What I’m trying to say is, with ADL’s team of mentors you have the support you need to really  get ahead with your course.   Our people really are one of our strongest aspects.  I would urge you  if ever you get stuck or ever feel like giving up on your course to get in touch with your tutor.  You may be studying by yourself but you’re not alone on this journey. 

Until next time.

Daryl Tempest-Mogg

Director of Vocational Studies

ADL