Online vs' ClassroomBased Learning in College Level Courses: What are Students Saying

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Online vs. Classroom-Based Learning in College
Level Courses What are Students Saying?
Hilary BertschUniversity of Minnesota, Crookston
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Questions

• Do college students experience differences in
  their learning in online vs. classroom-based
  courses?
• Do those experiences differ among specific
  demographic sections of the student population?

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Limitations

• This study did not evaluate
• quality of the courses or the instruction
• common subject areas
• specific course components
• Limited to
• Overall differences between delivery methods
• Overall perceptions of students
• Perception differences within defined
  demographic groups

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Participants

• College age students with undergraduate online
  course experience between Spring 2002-Fall 2002 .
• Identified through their enrollment in UMC online
  courses.
• Voluntary participation

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Survey

• Online survey design using ColdFusion
• 4 Demographic Questions
• 7 Course Enrollment Time Commitment Questions
• 14 Attitudinal Statements w/5-point Likert Scale
• 3 Open-Ended Qualitative Questions

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Procedure

• 844 emails sent, asking for participation 6-weeks
  into the Fall 2002 semester (Response rate of
  21)
• Email contained link to survey website and to
  survey information website
• Participants completed the survey online in 5-7
  minutes
• Thank you page allowed students to view real-time
  results

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The Results
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Quantitative Highlights

• Overall Results
• Gender
• Age
• Employment Status
• GPA
• Previous Course Experience

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Gender and Online Learning
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Working and Online Learning
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Future Online Learning
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Whos Learning Online?

• Current Enrollment
• Average of 3-4 courses currently
• 1-2 of them online
• Previous Enrollment
• Average of 19-20 college level courses
• Average of 2-3 of them online
• Time Commitment
• Average of 7.75 hr/wk for Online Course
• Average of 4.98 hr/wk for Classroom-Based Course

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Summarizing the Results

• Course Design Components
• Amount of Work
• Independent-Learning
• Reading
• Flexibility
• Course Interaction Components
• Comfort in participation
• Ease of communication
• Personal relationship with instructor and
  classmates
• Frequency of participation

• Self-Discipline
• Learning and Information gained
• Computer skills
• Scores on tests and assignments

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Course Design Components Level of Agreement

• More students felt that more work is required in
  an online course.
• Majority of students felt there is a greater
  amount of self-learning, reading and
  self-discipline.
• Most students reported a higher level of
  flexibility.
• Students neutral in their response to the amount
  of learning and information gained

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Course Interaction Level of Agreement

• More students felt they participated more in
  classroom-based courses.
• More students felt it is easier to communicate in
  a classroom-based course.
• Majority felt they had a more personal
  relationship with their instructor in a
  classroom-based course.
• Most felt they knew the other students better in
  a classroom-based course.

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Gender Highlights

• Females were likely to take online course in the
  future
• Females were an average of 3 ½ years older
• Females represented a larger portion of the
  workforce and of the FT workers
• Females were taking more courses and more of them
  online
• Females had more online course experience but
  less overall undergraduate experience
• Females were spending more time on their online
  course

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Employment and Gender
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Gender and Courses
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Gender and Time Spent
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Gender Level of AgreementCourse Design
Components

• Males more strongly agreed that online courses
  required more reading.
• Females more strongly agreed that their computer
  skills had a greater affect on their online
  courses.
• Females more strongly felt they score better in a
  classroom-based course.

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Gender Level of AgreementCourse Interaction
Components

• Females were more comfortable participating
  online than males.
• Males more strongly disagreed that it is easier
  to communicate in online courses.
• Males more strongly disagreed that they knew the
  other students better online and had a closer
  relationship with their instructor.

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Gender Distinctions
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Age Highlights

• Youngest group (18-21) enrolled in the most
  courses overall
• The 26-30 year old group enrolled in the most
  online courses.
• Older students 26 represented the largest
  portion of the FT workers.
• They were also the most likely to take online
  courses in the future.

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Age and Course Enrollment
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Age AgreementCourse Design Interaction
Components

• The youngest group most strongly agreed that
  online courses require more reading and
  self-discipline.
• The 26 group felt that is was easier to
  communicate online than their younger classmates
• They also felt that their computer skills had the
  most impact on their course.
• The 26-40 most strongly agreed that online course
  required more work than their classroom-based
  course.

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GPA Level of Agreement

• The students with the lowest GPAs (1.99-1.5)
  were taking the most online courses, had the most
  online course experience and had the least
  overall college experience.
• The lowest GPA range also most strongly agreed
  that online course resulted in more learning,
  more flexibility, and more self-discipline.
• They felt they knew the other students better and
  participated more frequently online.

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Participation and GPA
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GPA and Course Enrollment
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Employment Status Level of Agreement

• Students working FT spent the most time working
  on their online course followed by those working
  PT, nearly 3 hrs more each week than those not
  working.
• The same connection was true for the previous
  online course experience.

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Employment and Agreement

• FT workers reported the strongest level of
  disagreement that they knew the other students
  better in an online course.
• Non-working students had the highest level of
  agreement that online courses require more
  reading and computer skills.

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Previous Online Course Experience Level of
Agreement

• Those new to online learning were currently
  enrolled in the most online courses.
• New students were slightly younger and had
  slightly higher GPAs.
• New students felt the amount of reading was
  higher, were more uncomfortable participating and
  felt they would score lower in online courses.

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Qualitative Highlights

• Differences between formats
• Level of Self-Discipline
• Amount of Work
• Level of Independence
• Nearly every comment referred to being on your
  own.

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Differences Quotes

• The greatest difference is that there is no one
  to hold your hand and get you through the class.
  A distance education student has to be totally
  independent and self-disciplined to get all the
  work done and finish the course.
• You have to be ready to work in an online course
  and motivate yourself.
• The amount of self-discipline it takes to be in
  an online course is much greater. You really have
  to make yourself sit down and read and do the
  homework. In a classroom-based course, you just
  have to show up and take notes.

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Qualitative Highlights

• Value of Online Courses
• Flexibility
• Convenience
• Ability to be employed / Keep my job
• Many comments made reference to the logistics
• On my own schedule
• No Parking problems
• No daycare needs

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Differences Quotes

• Flexibility- I can do the work when it fits my
  schedule.
• I can take a class, work full-time, spend time
  with my family- I dont have that option with a
  classroom-based course.
• The flexibility-I can plan my semester ahead of
  time, I know what to expect and can work at my
  own pace.
• The time is saves not to have to drive to class
  it a big convenience. I can keep my job and still
  continue my education.
• You learn more because you have to do the work
  on your own and not just listen to a lecture. You
  can do it at your own pace when it is convenience
  and even finish ahead of schedule

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Qualitative Highlights

• Value of Classroom-Based Courses
• Level Interaction with Students and Instructor
• Many comments related to the relationship and
  communication advantage
• Better understanding of expectations
• Get to know others more personally
• Likely to ask more questions

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Differences Quotes

• It is much easier to interact with other
  students and the teacher on a personal,
  one-on-one level. Nothing can replace physical
  contact with other people.
• You learn a lot from each other when you can
  discuss ideas.
• The classroom offers a way for you to see what
  the instructor is talking about, instead of
  having to learn on your own. You have a better
  idea of the expectation of the instructor and the
  support system of the class. You also can get
  more immediate feedback instead of waiting for an
  email.

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Responding to Online Student Needs

• How to learn online course
• Online Student Contact point
• Increased communication tools less / more
• Module learning packets, instructions
• Off-peak assistance
• Asynchronous learning

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Responding to Online Student Needs

• Group work/peer assistance
• Online Advisement course load, schedule
  management, previous student contacts
• Expanded course descriptions better choices,
  clearer expectations
• Online student lounge
• Addressing communication components at a distance

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Online vs. Classroom-Based Learning in College
Level Courses What are Students Saying?
http//webhome.crk.umn.edu/hbertsch/
Hilary Bertschhbertsch_at_umn.eduUniversity of
Minnesota, Crookston