Rasa Flay: “But for Distance Learning, now I Wouldn’t be Able to Study”

Rasa Flay graduated from school 32 years ago, she now lives abroad and often changes her place of residence while traveling from one country to another. There seems to be no possibility of returning to the student seat. However, Rasa is currently taking her final spring semester exams and is happy to have learnt a lot of practical things. How did she do it?

“I am very happy that distance learning has become a possibility at Vilnius Business College. How else could I study if I live outside of Lithuania? How could I achieve my goal of getting a master’s degree in the near future?” Rasa Flay asks. Her field of study – Business Management and Marketing.

Turns out that R. Flay came back to our college after… 22 years! This time – to get additional credits needed in order to obtain a professional bachelor’s degree that meets the current requirements. And that’s how she joined a large group of students of all ages and backgrounds from different cities around the world.

Distance learning – a flexible and comfortable way of studying

If a student chooses the distance learning format, the lectures happen only remotely. The students are given the opportunity to flexibly adjust studies with work and personal life and to save some money as there are no rental or travel costs. They can attend live online lectures, ask teachers questions and interact with groupmates. All lectures are recorded and these recordings can be viewed later in case a student misses the live lecture or if they want to delve deeper into a particular topic. Literature, practical assignments, comments and video material – all in a specialized, easy-to-use learning platform.

When asked whether in this manner the content of studies retains its value, Rasa Flay argues that in this case the only difference is the way knowledge is transferred.

“I don’t think there’s much of a difference whether the lecture happens online or in the auditorium. You can still ask, answer and start a discussion via the Zoom platform. Of course, it is more difficult to develop personal relations with each other online, so my recommendation is to always attend live online lectures. Even through the screen you can still get to know a person a little,” the woman shared her experience.

If you are curious, studying is easy

After returning to study Rasa says that the 22-year break didn’t have a great impact on her because… there was no real break. Every time she comes to live in a new country she starts learning the language, gets to know the environment, the culture and the people. “Learning is a natural part of my life. Also, I’m very curious and I always want to learn something new. Constant travelling has developed another quality that helps me study at Vilnius Business College – flexibility. So the decision to study came naturally, without any distress. That’s why it was easy to fend off friends’ questions of why am I studying at an older age, why do I need it and what will I do among young people,” R. Flay commented on the decision to return to studying.

Internal motivation helps to study independently the most

Independent work is an important part of distance learning, so if you get the impression that only disciplined people can learn this way Rasa claims that motivation, taking responsibility and having a well-organized schedule are much more important. According to her, the student must be willing to take what the teacher gives. This attitude makes learning much easier.

Finding the balance between work, studies and family can be a much bigger challenge, especially if the student has young children. Staying organized and having your loved ones’ support helps to do this. Rasa’s situation makes it easier to study: children are all grown up, there is no pressure from work or any other commitments that would limit her ability to flexibly plan the day.

“That is precisely why I’m studying now. Overall, getting back to college after so many years is very exciting. In 1998, for example, there was no such thing as digital marketing. And now we are getting some very practical and necessary knowledge, such as how to implement an electronic marketing project or how to write texts and apply them to business, sign contracts by e-mail, etc.” the student remarked.

Connection with college remained because of people working there

According to R. Flay, Vilnius Business College has always made her feel warm. Even after more than 20 years she still has a talk with her English language teachers Skaistė Didžiulienė and Giedrė Būdienė and she recalls Andrejus Račkovskis (now a teacher of Business Communication and Head of Teaching Innovation and Business Development Department) or Jolanta Skirgailė, the former Director of the college. “I have always felt connected with the college. That’s because of the people who work there. Vilnius Business College gave me a wonderful experience, so I took the decision to return here to study without any doubts”.