Romanian Graduates’ Opinions on Distance Learning

摘要

Graduates of distance learning from Romania have met in the early years of development of this type of education a number of obstacles, mainly due to lack of public information on this form of higher education. To record the way the graduates appreciate the quality of the undertaken studies and their recommendations for developing this form of education, we conducted a national research in May 2011. The research aimed at investigating the Romanian graduates’ opinions on distance learning and the establishment of the actions needed for a better correlation between distance learning and the requirements of the labour market and of the knowledge-based society. In order to investigate the graduates’ opinions, a national questionnaire-based survey was held and 904 graduates answered. The results showed that the graduates of this form of education do not consider themselves inferior to those who graduated other forms of education. People with reduced availability of time and people involved in vocational/professional activities accept distance education better than daily classes. Moreover, the results indicate that the form of distance learning is preferred by adults because it offers them a real chance to continue their education and lifelong learning, even if they are actively involved in other activities, too. The impact of distance learning is positive on the graduates of this form of education. However, the graduates demonstrate realism and accept the idea that the system can be improved, especially regarding the way of assessing the knowledge and the relationships with their teachers during the years of study. The analysis of the items regarding the assessment of their training quality shows that, in relation to graduates of other forms of education, a significant number of the surveyed people consider that they are as well as or better trained professionally.