What if Things go Wrong?

Abstract

However well prepared and organised you are, unexpected problems can arise from time to time for any student. For distance and open learning students, the difficulty sometimes lies not only with the problem itself (which might be quite minor) but with their reaction to that problem. You might hesitate to ask questions about any area that is causing you a minor difficulty, and this can lead to the problem growing out of all proportion. If you suspect that a major problem is looming, there may be a natural temptation to ignore it in the hope that it will resolve itself: this can be disastrous.