Distance education, contrary to what you might think, is not a recent innovation: St Paul created an early form of correspondence course by teaching people through letters.

However, it is an area that has recently seen a rapid growth, and the increase in Internet access and awareness is adding a new dimension to that growth.

Last week, this column looked at the value of the Internet as a supplementary resource for those getting their education through traditional channels. But it can also serve as the primary means of obtaining a formal education.

Does this scenario sound familiar? You decided long ago you needed to educate yourself further or merely take night classes in the pursuit of an interest, but a) didn't have time, b) couldn't afford the childcare, c) couldn't find a course in a convenient location, or d) were too lazy to organise it.

This is where the Internet comes into its own as a tutor. You can formulate your own curriculum, learn at your own pace and set your own timetable. No need to travel - or even get dressed.

If you're determined to get a third-level qualification, it isn't necessary to spend three years attending the same overcrowded lectures as other students. Despite the Internet's impersonal, anti-social image, regular e-mail correspondence with your tutor can be a lot more productive and rewarding than infrequent tutorials.

The Open University (which has a Belfast office covering all of Ireland) offers several courses which can be taken "electronically", meaning that teaching material is made available on the university's website and tutors correspond with students via e-mail. These are mostly postgraduate courses, such as one in "computing for commerce and industry".

But the principle has recently been extended to undergraduate level: an IT course, titled "You, Your Computer and the Net", is taught entirely electronically - students take part in group online conferences with their tutor.

This would appear to be a fairly radical departure for the Open University, which normally insists on at least occasional face-to-face tutorials. Clearly the organisation is acknowledging the merit of the online medium for student-lecturer communication.

For information contact the Open University in Ireland (www.open.ac.uk/near-you/in-ireland; e-mail: R12@open.ac.uk; tel: +4 28 9024 5025).

If it's something more in the fashion of an evening class you're after, UCD's adult education office has launched DeLLTTi (Delivering LifeLong Learning Through Telematics), which isn't as intimidating as it sounds. Under the slogan "You don't have to be here to be here", it aims to "combine computer technology and academic expertise to present an accessible, flexible and user-friendly learning environment".

Courses on offer through DeLLTTi include sociology, genealogy, politics, film studies, writing skills and basic computer and Internet skills. These are mostly 10 weeks in duration and cost about £100. You can register online at www.ucd.ie/(tilde)delltti (email: fergus.keane@ucd.ie; tel: (01) 706 8964).

Remember, you don't have to confine yourself to Irish options. You can choose according to your interest rather than geographical location. In 1999 almost 800 universities in the US reported that they offered courses online - double the 1997 figure. If you were really looking for a new departure, you could apply for a course in disaster management at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, which is offered over the Internet to students in areas such as Bosnia where traditional infrastructure has broken down.

Clearly the range of online correspondence courses is going to broaden very rapidly. If it's something you want to pursue, the best way to find out more is by searching the web (for example, with the keywords "distance", "learning" and "philosophy"). Here are some useful links to get you started:

www.distance-learning.co.uk Contains details of international distance education and training.

www.gnacademy.org US site containing free online databases of distance education courses and other resources

cvu.strath.ac.uk Clyde Virtual University in the West of Scotland, claiming to be Europe's first virtual university

www.open.ac.uk Open University's website

www.capellauniversity.edu Capella University in the US, offering a considerable number of courses over the Internet