ERIC Number: ED465404
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2002-May
Pages: 228
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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EISSN: N/A
Online versus Traditionally-Delivered Instruction: A Descriptive Study of Learner Characteristics in a Community College Setting.
Halsne, Alana M.
This study compares the learning styles of community college students who have enrolled in an online course via the Internet with the learning styles of comparable community college students who are taking the same course on-campus in the community college setting. The students taking the online course were off-campus students. A sample consisting of 1,642 students who were enrolled in an online course or a traditional course that was also offered through the Internet at the community college during the spring 2001 semester was used for the study. There were 587 online students, of whom 340 completed the study, for a return rate of 57.9%, and 1,302 traditional students, with a return rate of 100%. Fourteen course titles with 22 different course numbers were included in the study, as well as 28 section numbers. The majority of online students were aged 26 or older, while the majority of the traditional students were under the age of 26. Findings from the study also indicate that 85% of the online students were white, versus 76% of traditional students. Family incomes were also higher for online students. The study concludes that the majority of online students have a visual learning style preference. Knowledge of learning styles may help target students who are at risk of dropping online courses. Survey instrument, permission letters, statistical frequency data tables, and crosstabulations of study findings are appended. (Contains 125 references.) (NB)
Descriptors: Access to Education, Adult Students, Community Colleges, Computer Mediated Communication, Distance Education, Ethnic Groups, Females, Internet, Learning Modalities, Minority Groups, Nontraditional Education, Nontraditional Students, Outcomes of Education, Two Year College Students, Two Year Colleges, Virtual Classrooms, Web Based Instruction, World Wide Web
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Note: Ed.D. Dissertation, Loyola University Chicago.