Considered as one of the most respected and noblest professions, Teaching is is an art that can be mastered by a few. Tasked with shaping a child’s career as well as aiding in their personality development, a teacher has a wide range of responsibilities to handle. Needless to say, with scores of degree programs now evolving, the requirement of educators who can impart the right knowledge in a creative way has also increased. So, if you are interested in building a career in this field, pursuing a BEd course like Bachelor of Education or B.Ed in Special Education can be the most viable option! Moreover, with technology changing the face of education, aspirants who have some prior responsibilities or commitments can opt for a B.Ed Distance Education course. So, if you are wondering how you can do BEd from distance learning options then here is a blog that will shed light on the important details pertaining to the BEd Distance Education program!

Course Name	BEd
Full-Form	Bachelor of Education
Type	Correspondence/Distance learning
Eligibility	Graduation with min 50% marks
Duration	2 Years
Approved By	UGC and NCTE
Fee Structure	INR 45,000 – 80,000/-

What is the BEd Distance Education Program?

BEd distance education is a 2-year course that covers various facets of pedagogy and education. Conducted either online or on a weekly basis, the course curriculum not only imparts knowledge of this field extensively but also helps improve leadership, communication skills, and analytical reasoning. 

Skills Required to Become a Teacher

Teaching is one of the noblest yet tough professions to pursue. Not only do you need to be academically sound but you must also possess some career skills that can help nurture a child. In order to flourish in the field of teaching, here are some of the professional competencies which you must have.

• Communication Skills
• Analytical Reasoning
• Critical Thinking
• Ability to Empathise
• Patience and Perseverance
• Confident Attitude
• Optimistic

Eligibility Criteria

Though they are the same courses, the eligibility criteria of the conventional BEd and BEd distance education vary. Glance through the following points to understand more: 

• The candidates must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in art, science, commerce stream or engineering branches. 
• The minimum percentage required is 50%. 
• Trained, in-service teachers in elementary schools
• Applicants who are through with a teacher education programme as recognised by NCTE
• Candidates with 2 years of teaching experience in primary/upper primary schools. 

Top BEd Distance Education Colleges in India 

With the growing demand for courses taught in distance mode, universities across the country have started offering online education in India. Here are some of the educational institutes or colleges offering BEd distance education programs: 

1. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2. UP Rajshri Tandon Open University
3. Annamalai University
4. National Correspondence College
5. Rabindranath Tagore University
6. Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
7. Kurukshetra University
8. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University
9. Netaji Subhash Open University
10. Jammu University
11. Andhra University School of Distance Education
12. NSOU
13. Lovely Professional University 
14. Bharathidasan University
15. Tamil Nadu National Open University
16. Directorate of Distance Education, Kurukshetra University

BEd Distance Education Syllabus 

When it comes to the course curriculum of BEd distance education, then you must know that its syllabus follows the same line as that of a traditional BEd program. Tabulated below are the topics: 

Year 1

Understanding ICT and Its Application	Pedagogy of School Subject-1 – Part II
School Exposure	Pedagogy of School Subject-2 – Part II
Field Engagement activities	School Attachment
Pedagogy of School Subject-1 – Part I	Assessment for Learning
Pedagogy of School Subject-2 – Part I	Knowledge and Curriculum
Childhood and Growing Up	Learning and Teaching
Contemporary India and Education	Community living camp
Language across the Curriculum	–

Year 2

Pre internship	Gender, School and Society
Internship	Creating an Inclusive School
Engagement with the Field: Tasks and Assignments related to the internship	Health, Yoga and Physical Education
–	Reading and Reflecting on Texts
–	Understanding the Self
–	Engagement with the Field: Tasks and Assignments
–	Arts in Education

Note: The above-mentioned list is just for indicative purposes and course offerings might vary from one university to another.

Is BEd Distance Education Valid?

Most of the candidates who want to apply for the distance learning courses are rather skeptical as to if the degree is valid or not. To answer that, it is absolutely valid and opens up the job avenues both in government as well as private sectors. But, the university matters. So, make sure you pursue BEd distance education from a top university to have a bigger edge over others in this field. In India, IGNOU is a rather famous university for all open or distance education programs. Other than that, UP Rajshri Open University is also popular for the BEd distance education course. Moreover, unlike other academic institutions, it offers a 1-year curriculum!

Entrance Exams for BEd Distance Education Program

Most of the popular universities, which offer online education like IGNOU, conduct their own entrance exams for the B.Ed distance education course. Enlisted are some of these competitive exams: 

• UP B.Ed JEE
• IGNOU B.Ed
• BHU CET
• BU-SDE [Bharathiyar University]
• IPU-CET

Career Prospects

Almost, if not all, the career prospects of B.Ed regular and distance education courses are the same. B. Ed degree holders can find employment opportunities in Schools, NGOs, Education Departments, Hospitality and Assistance firms, etc. They can even start their own private tuitions. Enlisted are some of the popular work profiles: 

• Primary School Teacher
• Secondary School Teacher
• Teacher’s Assistant
• Social Worker
• Tuition Teacher
• Private Teacher
• NGO Teacher
• Content writer 
• Educational Researcher 
• Consultant 
• Counsellor 
• Principal 
• Head of School 

Distance Learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages	Disadvantages
Pocket Friendly	Though affordable, buying a laptop/setting up a WiFi can lead to additional expenses
Study while working	This can often lead to distractions
Learn and study at your own pace and choice of place	May not get an opportunity to learn from a good faculty
Accessible with a click	Those who are not tech-savvy may find it difficult to study

Top Universities Abroad for Pursuing BEd (BONUS)

Here is a bonus section that will tell you a bunch of universities abroad that are highly valued and renowned for their BEd courses and programs:

1. Stanford University, USA
2. The University of Texas at Austin, USA
3. Washington State University, USA
4. University of Cambridge, UK
5. Imperial College London, UK
6. Queen’s University, UK
7. The University of British Columbia, Canada 
8. York University, Canada 
9. The University of Sydney, Australia 
10. University of Technology, Australia

FAQs

Hence, we hope that this blog has helped you comprehend what a BEd Distance Education is all about. If you want to kickstart a career in Teaching but are not sure which degree program will suit your interests then reach out to us at Leverage Edu. The experts, after assessing your profile will recommend the program most suitable for you!