There are a few distance learning programs available today, including our own AWCA Distance Learning Program. While our program was built around industry standards for delivering training media of this type, sometimes those of other programs will find that theirs is not.
Regardless of which dlp you belong to, “how” do we use the materials we are afforded? Further, can this be applied to any other kind of media we find on the Internet such as videos, websites, and text?
The answer is yes, you can. The concept of distance learning is practically the same as any other kind of learning. You have visual stimulus from videos and photos, as well as analytical stimulus from publications and text (including eBooks).
One of the stumbling blocks that many encounter is simply the idea of a distance learning program to begin with. Many see that as being so inferior to one-on-one training that they do not even give it a quick glance, much less some serious investigation.
But that is their loss, because all of us are training a distance learning principle to one measure or another. If you aren’t, then the only time you are ever training is when you are in the gym. Do you train at home on your non-class days? Do you read websites, watch online videos or DVD’s? If so, then you, too, are distance learning.
The entire concept of distance learning is all about taking media – regardless of “what” that media is – and making it available in such a way that it makes sense to the user. Period. It really is that simple. Now, how someone “makes” it usable is another story because it takes a skilled professional who understands the learning process in order to do that (and luckily I am versed in that, as well as having professional colleagues who assist with delivering the curriculum in various formats).
However, the same principles can be applied to any type of media we encounter.
For example, regardless of the lineage you prescribe to, the direction of training is always Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, Chi-sau, Biu-Tze, Muk-Yan-Chong, and the weapons. Yes there will be a few schools out there that are not exactly in that order, but for the most part, the majority of them are.
So, you check the Internet and find a slew of videos, text, photos, etc., and now you do not know what to make of it all. Therefore, you go back to the above order of things and now you are able to catalog all of the information you find according to the form it is listed with.
Trust me when I tell you that entire styles of Wing Chun, Ving Tsun and Wing Tsun are available on the Internet today, just not in one place. However, without already knowing these styles, you would not know where things go. So, using the above curriculum pattern, you can create your own catalog of training by knowing what movements and concepts go with what form.
With every website and media format you encounter, simply include that in your curriculum and then you will begin creating a logical progression of form-to-form. Continue this with all of the drills and concepts you encounter, too, so that you get a more complete picture.
Now then. What about distance programs? Where do they fit in and why are some not as effective as others?
Well, let’s think about the end-user for a moment. What is better: a) having to sort through a stack of tapes or DVDs, plus manuals, or b) getting brief blocks of training every month to work through? If you chose b, you would be one step closer to reality. After all, who has time to wade through a ton of information start-to-finish and then stay motivated to “keep” learning in that manner?
According to professionals in the industry, very few of us.
Instead, you need things to be useful, which means that they cannot get too deep for too long or you lose interest. That is just the nature of things, but additionally, is that not also the way a classroom is run?
Does the instructor teach you the entire form in one sitting, as well as all drills, applications, and concepts? Of course not. He/she “could” but no one would absorb it in such a short amount of time. That is why the art is taught section-by-section, and even then, a handful of concepts at a time until they are competent and then moving on to the next.
Because “that” is how it is taught in class, why should it be any different in a distance learning program? Further still, why not take that same principle and apply it to “any” media we encounter, including the Internet?
So as you consider all of the media you are exposed to today, take into account the areas mentioned above. You will find that your accumulation of websites and videos will start being more useful, and you will also then begin seeing why many distance learning programs are not as effective as touted. It is not that the material is no good; instead, it is the manner in which it is presented.
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