Distance learning: business student experiences and perceptions.

Gupta, Sanjay

INTRODUCTION

Technology mediated distance learning is changing the pedagogical environment for business schools. Two major factors that have spurred the growth of distance learning are the exponentially increasing power of informational technology and a dramatic increase in the ranks of non-traditional students. Compression technologies, increased computing power and speed, reduced costs, and an increased comfort level with technology have all combined to contribute to the growth in distance learning. In addition, the remarkable growth of part-time, non-residential, non-traditional students has further increased the demand for distance learning (Hubbard, 1997; Green, 1996).

An increasing number of universities, both large and small, currently offer entire degree programs in a distance learning environment. A recent survey indicated that more than half of the 2,215 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. offer distance learning courses (Gubernick & Ebeling, 1997; Vasarhelyi & Graham, 1997). The trend toward distance education has been so strong that Peter Drucker, in a recent issue of Forbes, commented that the demise of university campuses was inevitable.

Distance learning offers a number of benefits. First, it allows the sharing of information and costs among multiple sites, giving schools that implement distance learning programs a competitive advantage (Webster & Hackley, 1997). Second, it provides educational opportunities for distant or disadvantaged locations, giving schools that offer this program the opportunity to tap new market segments (Walsh & Reese, 1995). Third, it introduces students to the use of information technology used by businesses (Leidner & Jarvenpaa, 1993).

While distance learning may be a growing trend, there is limited evidence regarding student experiences and perceptions of distance learning courses and the effectiveness of this method. This paper examines student responses to a questionnaire administered in a distance learning course. 565 business students, enrolled in a variety of distance learning business courses at a regional university are surveyed. The purpose of this study is to examine demographic differences between on-site and remote students and investigate differences between on-site and remote students' perceptions regarding quality of instruction, effectiveness of class discussions, group projects, quality of technology, and support services. Also, student willingness to enroll in future distance learning courses and comments about the advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in a distance learning course are examined. These results have implications for school administrators and policy makers who are either considering expanding the number and range of courses offered in a distance learning format or are getting ready to offer these courses for the first time. Also, instructors of distance learning courses can benefit tremendously from feedback about students' perceptions of these courses.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. First, various distance learning delivery formats are reviewed. Next, the class environment in which distance learning courses are offered at a regional university is described. The following section provides a review of prior research and the development of hypotheses to be tested in this study. Then, the data collection process and research methodology is discussed. This is followed by the results of the test of the hypotheses. The final section summarizes the results of the study and provides conclusions and implications.

DELIVERY FORMATS

A wide variety of delivery formats are used in distance learning courses. Traditionally, print-based correspondence courses have been the dominant delivery mechanism, primarily due to affordability (Potashnik, 1998). More recently, however, delivery tools have expanded to include interactive videos, television, Internet based-courses, compressed video, cable television, and satellite broadcasting (Potashnik, 1998; Chadwick, 1995). While some formats have some direct one-on-one interaction between instructor and student (e.g. interactive videos, television, and satellite broadcasting), others offer virtually no interaction (e.g. Internet based courses, print media based courses, and complete on-line courses). Each format offers and presents unique advantages and disadvantages. This paper focuses on distance learning courses offered in an interactive television format via satellite-broadcasting at a regional state university of approximately 10,000 students. Instructors present course material to on-site students in a traditional setting which is simultaneously broadcast to remote students at one or more distant location.

CLASS ENVIRONMENT

Distance learning courses are offered in a special classroom equipped with the necessary technology to facilitate this medium of instruction. Four big-screen TV's are located in each of the four-corners of the classroom. Two monitors focus on the instructor while the other two focus on the students. Instructors teaching distance learning classes are provided with on-site and off-site facilitators who manage the equipment. Instructors wear a microphone and have to restrict movement in the class in order to avoid being out of camera range. Instructors have the choice of either writing on the regular "blackboard" or the "whiteboard". The whiteboard is similar to an overhead transparency machine and has a surface area large enough to hold a regular 8.5** X 11** sheet of paper. Most instructors preferred the whiteboard since they could use pre-prepared notes. The on-site facilitator moves the camera between the instructor and the whiteboard. The remote-site facilitator focuses the camera on students who have comments or questions. The class is equipped with a telephone and a fax machine.

LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT

The non-traditional student is rapidly making up the new majority in college education (1) (Hubbard, 1997; Green, 1996). According to the U.S. Department of Education, the percentage of non-traditional students enrolled in universities has increased by nearly a third between 1972 and 1994. The changing student demographic has direct implications for the continued growth in distance learning. Since residency requirements are either minimal or non-existent for distance learning courses, it provides an ideal opportunity for the non-traditional students to enroll in courses which they otherwise may not have been able to take. If a majority of the remote site students are non-traditional and this student segment is growing rapidly, this is a direct indication to universities, who are currently offering distance learning programs, to expand the number and range of these courses. It is also a reminder to universities, who currently do not offer distance learning courses, that they can no longer afford the luxury of ignoring the growth in the non-traditional student population. This led to the development of the following hypotheses.

H1a: A greater proportion of remote students will be part-time students as compared to on-site students.

H1b: The average age of the remote students will be greater than the average age of the on-site students.

One way to measure the effectiveness of a distance learning program is by student performance, as measured by the course grade. Recent research has indicated mixed results. Some researchers have found little or no significant difference between the performance of students given face-to-face interaction (on-site students) and interactive television interaction (remote students) (Alavi, Yoo & Vogel, 1997; Storck & Sproull, 1995; Wetzel, Radtke & Stern, 1994). However, Seay and Milkman (1994), who examined 75 students enrolled in an interactive television distance learning cost accounting course, found that remote students outperformed on-site students. This led to the second hypothesis.

H2: There will be no significant difference between the average grades of the remote and on-site students.

Continued growth in distance learning will, to a large extent, be driven by student perception of the quality of instruction in these courses as compared to the conventional course. If students perceive the quality of distance learning courses lower than conventional courses, instructors and administrators will want to know the reasons and formulate strategies to overcome these perceptions. On-site students are expected to have a more positive perception of the quality of instruction since they have the benefit of face-to-face interaction with the instructor and have better access to information about the material and the instructor (Storck & Sproull, 1995). This led to the third hypothesis.

H3: On-site students will have a more positive perception of the quality of instruction as compared to remote students.

Educators have consistently indicated that learning outcomes are best achieved through the active involvement of students beyond passive note taking (Alavi, Wheeler & Valacich, 1995; Catchpole, 1993). A common problem associated with distance learning is the difficulty in eliciting active student involvement in class discussions. In order to examine whether remote students perceive the effectiveness of class discussions to be lower than on-site students, the following hypothesis is proposed.

H4: On-site students will perceive the effectiveness of class discussions to be higher than remote students.

Most instructors teaching the distance learning courses either assigned in-class group assignments, out-of-class group assignments, or a combination of both. While the absence of personal interaction with the instructor may be a disadvantage for the remote students as far as the effectiveness of class discussions were concerned, this is not a factor for group assignments. Remote students had an equal opportunity to interact with their group members as the on-site students had to interact with their group members. This led to the fifth hypothesis.

H5: There will be no significant difference between remote and on-site students' perceptions of the effectiveness of group projects.

The quality and reliability of the technology used is an important attribute for the successful implementation of distance learning courses (Goodhue &Thompson, 1995), especially when instruction is centered around the technology (Sandholtz, Ringstaff & Dwyer, 1992). The successful implementation of distance learning courses will depend on students' perception of the quality of technology used (Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989). It is expected that there will be no significant difference between on-site and remote students' perception of the quality of technology used. However, the perceived quality of technology is expected to influence students' willingness to enroll in future distance learning courses. This led to the sixth and seventh hypotheses.

H6: There will be no significant difference between remote and on-site students' perception of the quality of technology used.

H7: The perception of the quality of technology used will be positively correlated to the students' willingness to enroll in a future distance learning course.

In addition to the perceived quality of instruction and technology, the success of the distance learning program will also depend, to a large extent, on the support services provided by the institution. The support services specifically examined in this study relate to registration, quality/reliability of site facilitators, turnaround time for receiving materials from the professor, and library services provided.

A majority of students, both on-site and remote, registered for classes either by using the online Web registration system or the automated telephone registration system. Since location is not an influencing factor in this regard, it is hypothesized that there will be no significant difference between on-site and remote students with respect to registration.

Both on-site and remote locations had facilitators available to handle the distance learning equipment. Both facilitators received similar training sessions on handling the equipment. For this reason, it is hypothesized that there will be no significant difference between on-site and remote students' perceived quality/reliability of site facilitators.

Due to geographical reasons, on-site students are expected to rate the turnaround time for receiving materials back from the instructor more favorably than the remote students (Alavi et al., 1995).

And finally, it is expected that on-site students will have access to better library facilities as compared to remote students since off-campus/branch location library facilities are typically not as extensive as those available to students at the major campus. Based on the above, the following hypotheses are proposed with respect to the support services.

H8a: There will be no significant difference between on-site and remote students with respect to registration.

H8b: There will be no significant difference between on-site and remote students' perception of the quality/reliability of site facilitators.

H8c: On-site students will rate the turnaround time for receiving materials back from the instructor more favorably than the remote students.

H8d: On-site students will rate the library services more favorably than the remote students.

Finally, the likelihood of on-site and remote students enrolling in future distance learning courses is examined. Because of the several advantages available to the on-site students, with respect to greater personal interaction and better support services, it is logical to expect that they should be more likely to enroll in future distance learning courses as compared to the remote students. However, remote students' judgments may be biased by the fact that if the distance learning course were not offered, they would have had no other options available to them to enroll in these courses. Remote students therefore may be more likely to state that they are willing to enroll in these courses in future and that these courses continue to be offered in future. Also, based on informal conversations with students, it was apparent that on-site students enrolled in distance learning courses primarily because of a lack of any other option (2). It is expected that remote students' judgment bias will override any potential advantages available to the on-site students with respect to greater personal interaction and better support services.

H9a: A higher proportion of remote students will be likely to feel that the course they are enrolled in is an appropriate course to be offered in future in a distance learning environment as compared to on-site students.

H9b: A higher proportion of remote students will be willing to enroll in another distance learning course in the future as compared to on-site students.

DATA COLLECTION AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Business students (both on-site and remote) enrolled in distance learning courses at a regional state university were required to complete a "Distance Learning Student Evaluation" questionnaire at the end of the semester. This questionnaire contained 20 questions, some of which were required to be answered on a 5-point Likert scale, some on a yes/no/undecided category, while others required a narrative response. Questions included, but were not limited to, student perception of the quality of instruction and technology, effectiveness of group interactions and class discussions, support services provided, appropriateness of offering similar courses in future, willingness to enroll in a distance learning course in future, and advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in a distance learning course. Responses of 565 students enrolled in a wide variety of business courses over a two-year time period, Fall 1996 to Spring 1998, are examined.

Data is analyzed using either a two-sample t-test to compare differences between on-site and remote student responses to the Likert scale questions or a Chi-square test to compare differences between on-site and remote student responses requiring a yes/no/undecided response.

RESULTS

Consistent with expectations, a significantly greater proportion of remote students (82%) are part-time students as compared to on-site students (42%) (P = 131.41, p = 0.0000).

Also, the average age of the remote students (31 years) is significantly higher than the average age of the on-site students (27 years) (t = 6.42, p = 0.00). These results indicate that remote students are typically non-traditional, i.e. older, part-time students as compared to on-site students who are typically traditional, i.e. younger and attending school full-time.

Consistent with Seay and Milkman (1994) but contrary to Alavi et. al (1997), Storck and Sproull (1995), and Wetzel et. al (1994), the performance of the remote students, as indicated by their course grades, is significantly better than the on-site students (t = 4.39, p = 0.00). The average grade of the remote students is 3.216 (on a scale of 4) whereas the average grade of the on-site students is 2.826.

On-site students were expected to have a more positive perception of the quality of instruction since they have the benefit of face-to-face interaction with the instructor and have better access to information about the material and the instructor. However, contrary to expectations, remote students did not differ from the on-site students in their perception about the quality of instruction received (t =.41, p =.34). The more important finding, however, was that both groups of students had a perception of high quality instruction (mean score of 4.2 for the remote students and 4.1 for the on-site students, on a scale of 5).

It was expected that on-site students would perceive the effectiveness of class discussions to be higher than remote students since a common problem associated with distance learning is the difficulty in eliciting active student involvement in class discussions. Contrary to expectations, however, remote students felt that the effectiveness of class discussions in a distance learning environment was significantly higher as compared to the on-site students (t = 4.67, p = 0.00).

It was hypothesized that there will be no significant difference between remote and on-site students' perceptions of the effectiveness of group projects since both groups of students had similar opportunities for interaction with their respective group members. However, the results indicate that remote students had a significantly higher perception of the effectiveness of group projects than onsite students (t = 3.90, p = 0.00).

It was expected that there will be no significant difference between remote and on-site students' perception of the quality of technology used. Consistent with expectations, the results indicate that there is no significant difference between on-site and remote students with respect to the perception of quality of technology used (t = 0.91, p = 0.18). Also reassuring is the fact that both groups of students had a perception of high quality of technology being used (4.20 for the on-site and 4.28 for the remote students, on a scale of 5). Also, consistent with expectations, the perception of the quality of technology used is significantly and positively correlated to the students' willingness to enroll in a future distance learning course (t = 5.95, p = 0.00).

Next, student responses to the support services provided were examined. Contrary to expectations, remote students rated the registration facility and the quality/reliability of the site facilitator significantly higher than the on-site students (t = 2.25, p = 0.01 and t = 7.32, p = 0.00) respectively. Due to geographical reasons, on-site students were expected to rate the turnaround time for receiving materials back from the instructor more favorably than the remote students. The results were consistent with expectations, with the on-site students rating the turnaround time for receiving materials back from the instructor marginally higher than the remote students (t = 1.39, p = 0.08). Finally, it was expected that on-site students would rate the library services more favorably than the remote students. However, the results indicate that there was no significant difference in this regard (t = 0.66, p = 0.26).

Consistent with expectations, a significantly higher proportion of remote students (P = 12.57, 0.0025 < p > 0.005) felt that the course they were enrolled in was an appropriate course to be offered in future in a distance learning environment. A more interesting finding, however, was the fact that an overwhelming majority of both remote (90%) and on-site students (76%) were of the opinion that it was appropriate to offer the distance learning course in future.

Also consistent with expectations, a significantly higher proportion of remote students (P = 47.74, p < 0.005) stated that they would be willing to enroll in another distance learning course in future. A more interesting finding, however, was the fact that an overwhelming majority of both remote (95%) and on-site students (65%) were in favor of this medium of instruction.

Students were also asked to comment on the advantages and disadvantages experienced from enrolling in a distance learning course. The most frequently cited advantage by remote students was not having to travel long distances to take the course (89%). The most frequently cited advantages by on-site students were the opportunity to register for a course that they may not otherwise have been able to take (12%) and exposure to a new method of instruction (10%). The most frequently cited disadvantages by remote students were lack of personal rapport (38%), technical problems (24%), and distractions caused by simultaneous interactions by students from more than one site (22%). The most frequently cited disadvantages by on-site students were technical problems (34%) and distractions for the same reason as mentioned above (19%).

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS

Distance learning is rapidly changing the pedagogical environment for most educational institutions. Business schools are attempting to integrate the use of information technology to harness the varied advantages of offering courses in a distance learning environment. However, little research has addressed the efficacy of this medium of instruction. An attempt is made in this paper to develop an initial conceptualization regarding student demographics, teaching effectiveness, quality of support services, and learning outcomes utilizing student reactions to distance learning courses.

The results indicate that remote students who enroll in distance learning courses tend to be non-traditional, part-time students as compared to on-site students who are typically traditional, fulltime students. This finding, combined with the fact that the non-traditional student segment is growing rapidly, has direct implications for universities. It should encourage universities that are currently offering distance learning programs, to expand the number and range of these courses. It is also a reminder to universities, who currently do not offer distance learning courses, that they can no longer afford the luxury of ignoring the growth in this medium of instruction.

The results indicate that remote students tend to perform significantly better than the on-site students, as indicated by their course grades. To the extent that student performance is an indicator of the effectiveness of a distance learning program, this is a positive result. This finding may be due, however, to the fact that non-traditional students generally outperform traditional students (Ely, 1997) because of greater self-discipline and superior study ethics.

Remote students rate the effectiveness of class discussions and group projects significantly higher than the on-site students. If, as indicated by recent research, learning outcomes are best achieved through the active involvement of students, this bodes well for the future of distance learning programs. Anecdotal evidence suggests that lower on-site student ratings on these criteria may be driven by their perception of distractions caused by remote students intervening in class discussions.

There was no significant difference between the remote and on-site students' perception of the quality of technology used in the distance learning classroom, with both group of students having a perception oh high quality. Also, as expected, the perception of the quality of technology used is significantly and positively correlated to the students' willingness to enroll in a future distance learning course. These findings are important since the quality and reliability of the technology used is an important attribute for the successful implementation of distance learning courses.

Examination of student responses to the quality of the support services indicated that the remote students rated the registration facility and the quality/reliability of the site facilitator significantly higher than the on-site students, whereas the on-site students rated the turnaround time for feedback provided by the instructor marginally higher than the remote students. There was no difference between the two groups of students with respect to library services.

An interesting finding, however, was that in spite of significantly higher ratings by remote students on several criteria, there was no significant difference between remote and on-site students with respect to the perceived quality of instruction. Both groups of students rated the quality of instruction very highly. This result, combined with the finding that an overwhelming majority of both remote and on-site students indicated that they would be willing to enroll in another distance learning course, has positive implications for the continued growth in distance learning.

In conclusion, the positive perceptions of students, both remote and on-site, with respect to quality of instruction, effectiveness of class discussions, group projects, quality of technology, and support services, are a clear indication that effective use of this media of instruction can create a pedagogically effective learning environment.

REFERENCES

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ENDNOTES

(1) The non-traditional student is defined as an adult, age 25 or older, working full-time, and returning to school, usually as a part-time student.

(2) Typically, most distance learning courses were offered in the late evening hours and on-site students registered for these courses simply because all other classes were full.

Sanjay Gupta, Valdosta State University

TABLE 1

Course Semester Number of Students
 Enrolled

 On-Site Remote

1. Principles of Financial Accounting Spring 98 26 8
2. Principles of Managerial Accounting Summer 98 22 4
3. Principles of Microeconomics Summer 98 19 3
4. Principles of Macroeconomics Spring 98 25 7
5. Financial Management Fall 97 19 11
6. Organizational Behavior & Mgt. Fall 96 23 25
7. Production & Operations Mgt. Summer 97 26 16
8. Small Business Mgt. Winter 97 25 18
9. Human Resources Mgt. Summer 97 33 16
10. Organizational Analysis & Design Fall 97 25 15
11. International Mgt. Spring 97 25 16
12. Fundamentals of Information Sys. Winter 97 21 16
13. Adm. of Business Information Sys. Spring 98 26 14
14. Introduction to Marketing Fall 96 17 19
15. Marketing & Behavioral Sciences Winter 98 15 8
16. International Marketing Spring 98 13 9

TOTAL 360 205

Course Semester Number of Students
 Enrolled

 Total

1. Principles of Financial Accounting Spring 98 34
2. Principles of Managerial Accounting Summer 98 26
3. Principles of Microeconomics Summer 98 22
4. Principles of Macroeconomics Spring 98 32
5. Financial Management Fall 97 30
6. Organizational Behavior & Mgt. Fall 96 48
7. Production & Operations Mgt. Summer 97 42
8. Small Business Mgt. Winter 97 43
9. Human Resources Mgt. Summer 97 49
10. Organizational Analysis & Design Fall 97 40
11. International Mgt. Spring 97 41
12. Fundamentals of Information Sys. Winter 97 37
13. Adm. of Business Information Sys. Spring 98 40
14. Introduction to Marketing Fall 96 36
15. Marketing & Behavioral Sciences Winter 98 23
16. International Marketing Spring 98 22

TOTAL 565

TABLE 2

 On-site Remote Total

# of full-time 208 (58%) 36 (18%) 244
 students
# of part-time 152 (42%) 169 (82%) 321
 students

Totals 360 205 565

TABLE 3

"Do you feel that this is an appropriate course to
be offered in the future via distance learning"

 On-site Remote Total

Yes 178 (76%) 136 (90%) 314
No 34 (14%) 8 (05%) 42
Undecided 23 (10%) 7 (05%) 30

Total 235 151 386

TABLE 4

"Would you be willing to enroll in another
distance learning course in the future"

 On-site Remote Total

Yes 153 (65%) 144 (95%) 297
No 51 (22%) 3 (02%) 54
Undecided 31 (13%) 4 (03%) 35
Total 235 151 386