The importance of the learner's characteristics in distance learning environments: a case study

The huge changes concerning the workplace that we are facing, as well the challenges placed by the Information Society and by the globalisation trands, demand new perspectives for education, continuous education and lifelong learning. New methods demand new organisation alternatives that, in turn, require new educational policies and put pressure in curent assumptions of education itself. Distance Education is a challenge by itself. It places new demands both to the learner, but also to the facilitator. A set of seven dimensions for a distance learning environment were identified, which positively impacts the setting of learning experiences: (1) access tools; (2) technology experience; (3) habits and study skills; (4) human factors and life style; (5) goals and guidelines; (6) learning preferences; (7) personal characteristics [1]. This paper defends that the learners, when asked about their characteristics, taking into account different issues of their familiar, personal and professional life, available technology resources, technology skills, as well as motivation and learning preferences, provide an information set that, if turn available to facilitators, allow to both players (learners and facilitators) the mechanisms that ease the adoption of learning strategies, that enhance the possibility of a well succeed learning experience. To accomplish the research goals, an empiric study was conducted in the context of a Distance Education (DE) institution, taking a sample of 214 learners, with diverse characteristics. The data analysis allows the confirmation of the position validity and proves that it is possible to know in advance the distance learners more important characteristics and of the surrounding environment as means to access potential success and rate failure. Based on such knowledge it is possible to establish a classification of those characteristics, suggesting strategies and counseling to support decisions and thus to improve the distance learning success.