1. ATTRIBUTES OF SUCCESSFUL DISTANCE LEARNERS Thanks to Penn State University and Cathy Benscoter Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

2. INTRODUCTION There are many attributes that a person should have to be a successful distance learner. These include, but are not limited to: General Abilities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Responsibility (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012; Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012) Self-disciplined, self-motivated, a self-starter, and self-reliant (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012; University of Otago, 2014) Perseverance (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012) Organization and time management skills (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012) Strong reading and writing skills (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012; University of Otago, 2014) Understanding ones learning style (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Willingness to bring prior experience and knowledge into the educational setting (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Open-mindedness (University of Otago, 2014) Having these attributes will not guarantee success as a distance learner, but they certainly will not hurt the students chances of being successful. Thanks to Discovery Education at http://school.discovery education.com/clipart/ category/tchr0001.html

3. INTRODUCTION (CONTINUED) Charles Wedemeyer stated that independence of the student was the key to distance learning (Simson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012). Wedemeyers system says that the student should be capable of operation anyplace where there are students or even only one student whether or not there are teachers at the same place at the same time (Simson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012). Student independence is very present in this course. The student can work anywhere and at any time. The student is completely responsible for the completion of the course. Thanks to Discovery Education at http://school.discover yeducation.com/clipa rt/category/tchr.html

4. GENERAL ABILITIES The student should possess several general abilities that will help them succeed as a distance learner. They are: Cognitive abilities to be able to comprehend the material The ability to follow instructions to complete assignments Technical know-how to use the computer to complete assignments and ultimately the course with a minimum of technical difficulties Good communication skills Willingness to work with others - along with communication skills will enable students to gain as much knowledge as possible from their coursework Reference for the entire slide: (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Thanks to csp16680716 at http://www.canstockpho to.com

5. RESPONSIBILITY There are several responsibilities for which the student must be accountable. They are: Accepts responsibility for their own learning Recognizes that they need to know what is expected of them (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Takes responsibility to communicate clearly with the other students in the class as well as the teacher Takes responsibility to know when to ask for help and actually asks for the help Thanks to 3poD at http://www.illustrationsof.com/15395

6. SELF-DISCIPLINED, SELF MOTIVATED, SELF-STARTER, AND SELF-RELIANT The student needs to be self-disciplined, self-motivated, a self- starter, and self-reliant. The learner needs to be: Self-disciplined to focus and complete tasks on time (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Motivated to do the work and be eager to participate in the class A self-starter that can start and finish tasks on their own Self-reliant and have the confidence in themselves and their abilities and the ability to work independently (University of Otago, 2014). Thanks to http://www.Hackensack.org

7. PERSEVERANCE Students need perseverance to be successful. This means that the learner must: Be the type of student that finishes what they start, no matter how hard they think it is. Be willing to admit when they do not understand what is expected and contact either the instructor or a classmate for assistance Know that just giving up on the assignment would not be helpful to passing a class. Thanks to http://fotosearch.com

8. ORGANIZATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS To be a successful distance learner, students must: Be organized and manage their time in an efficient manner (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012) Posses time management skills that allow the student to set aside time each week to complete their work Learn to prioritize everything in their life (Macon & Shahani, 1990). Without organizational skills, the student could become lost very easily and have trouble completing assignments. Thanks to http://needanotheryou.com

9. STRONG READING AND WRITING SKILLS Strong reading and writing skills are necessary for successful completion of a distance learning course (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012; University of Otago, 2014). Strong reading skills enable the student to read and comprehend the discussions, assignments, and projects assigned to them Writing skills are essential to completing the discussions, assignments, and projects because most of them are in the form of a written paper or presentation Thanks to http://www.clker.com

10. UNDERSTANDING LEARNING STYLE The student knowing and understanding their learning style is important to their success as a distance learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). This can help with the selection of courses, if the student has a choice. In the case of a required course, the student can look for ways the course can be suited to their learning style. Thanks to http://www.careerkids.com

11. WILLINGNESS TO BRING PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE AND OPENMINDEDNESS A student's life and work experiences color their educational experience, especially in a distance setting (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) Experience levels range from prior distance education experience to no experience with the internet at all The student needs to know that their experience counts All students bring a prior knowledge (even if it is just a little) of the subject being taught The student needs to know that their prior knowledge can help them be a successful learner Students must be open-minded about sharing their life, work experiences, and educational experiences (University of Otago, 2014) Thanks to http://inspringedchat.wordpress.com

12. CONCLUSION A persons general abilities and many other factors define their success as a distance education student. A student must remain open-minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences in a distance setting. Without sharing some personal details, instructors and other students cannot get to know the student. In a traditional setting, the instructor can look for visible cues to gauge understanding. That is not possible in a distance learning scenario. Each student determines their own level of success. Thanks to http://www.odec.ca

13. REFERENCE Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute. (2012). Distance learning success. Retrieved from http://www.ccti.edu/DL/Success.htm#page=page-1 Macon, T. H., & Shahani, C. (1990). College students time management: Correlations with academic performance and stress. Journal of Educational Psychology 82(4) 760-768. Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Boston: Pearson Education. University of Otago. (2014). Attributes of highly successful distance students. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/distance_study/otago029904.html