Business school administrators' and faculty perceptions of online learning: a comparative study.

Tanner, John R. ; Noser, Thomas C. ; Totaro, Michael W. 等

INTRODUCTION

The ever-increasing popularity of online programs may be due in no small measure to the growing number of adults who, both for personal or professional reasons, wish to earn a college degree, but are unable to relinquish their full-time jobs and attend on-campus, daytime classes (Roberts, 1998). Fortunately, the technological infrastructure needed to address the growing interest in online education is readily available, thus making the availability of online courses both economical and practical (Totaro et al., 2005). This study compares business school administrators' perceptions of online learning and business faculty perceptions of online learning. Business school administrators and business faculty are from various disciplines, such as accounting, economics, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing.

The collective demographics of college students have changed considerably from college students of, say, twenty years ago, where the typical college student was between 18 and 22 years old. Colleges and universities are catering increasingly to the "non-traditional" college student, whose age tends to be 23 years or older, married with children, and employed full-time (U. S. Department of Education, 2002). Online learning appears to offer the "non-traditional" student a practical alternative to on-campus courses.

Online learning may be delivered either synchronously or asynchronously. In the case of synchronous delivery, time boundaries usually are imposed, since the instructor and students must be online simultaneously. An alternative mode to synchronous delivery of online learning is asynchronous delivery, where neither time- nor place-boundaries are of much concern.

The virtual removal of time and place boundaries by online learning presents a practical means by which the non-traditional student may earn college credit, or even earn a college degree. Thus, interest in developing new online education programs, as well as strengthening existing ones, continues to increase. Still, questions regarding the quality of online courses--particularly as they compare with their in-class counterparts--may be of both practical and intellectual interest to academics, practitioners, and students (Phillips, 1998; Webster and Hackley, 1997).

Concerns about the quality of online courses are not without merit. This may be due in no small measure to a lack of consensus among online course participants (i.e., students, faculty, and administrators) about how the success (or failure) of online courses might be measured. Moreover, each participant group might conceivably hold differing opinions about, and perceptions of, what constitutes online course quality.

Because the delivery mechanism of online courses is substantially different from traditional in-class courses, common sense might suggest that attitudes and perceptions by participants--students, faculty, staff, and administrators--in online education are integral to the success (or failure) of online courses. Thus, insights about attitudes and perceptions of online learning participants may be useful to universities and colleges as they endeavor to design and deploy online courses at their institutions.

Administrators are uniquely positioned to authorize and fund online courses; faculty contribute directly to such courses. Thus, an understanding about attitudes and perceptions of both groups are important for the development and offering of online courses. The roles assumed by the members of each group are presumably heterogeneous; this suggests that there may be differences in attitudes and perceptions between them. We intend to investigate these potential differences by way of analysis of survey results.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

From the foregoing discussion, we pose the following two research questions, both of which we address in our study:

1. How do attitudes and perceptions about online learning by business school administrators and business faculty members compare with one another?

2. What are the implications of the similarities and differences of attitudes and perceptions toward online learning by business school administrators and business faculty members?

MOTIVATION FOR STUDY

In response to the ever-increasing demand for online courses, traditional universities have responded by offering more courses online (Roberts, 1998; Daniel, 1997; Lewis, Alexander and Farris, 1997). To be sure, the mode of delivery is markedly different for online courses as compared with their traditional counterparts; however, it may very well be that expectations by business school administrators and business faculty differ. In order for online programs to proliferate, administrators and faculty expectations of the online learning experience should be understood; thus, administrator and faculty attitudes toward online course offerings should be assessed.

For the institution, online learning programs can initially be expensive and time consuming. For the instructor, the first crucial step is choosing a type of instruction that is designed for the new paradigm of online learning. This is then followed by the transformation of traditional education techniques to the new methodology. Students must also change their focus when engaged in online education. The students not only need traditional printed material, such as textbooks or other reading material, but also must have access to and a working knowledge of web-based technology, including the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and bulletin boards. online learning courses offer significant differences from the classic classroom environment. There is no face-to-face contact, no context clues, and no opportunity for immediate dyadic communication. In the first few weeks of the course, students usually feel high anxiety due to the uncertainty of what the professor really wants and, as a result, the professor is bombarded with e-mails. When both the professor and the student get comfortable with this new environment, real learning can take place.

The extent to which professor and student are comfortable with online learning is directly impacted by their attitudes toward and perceptions of online learning. Indeed, if professor or student (or both) perceives little or no benefit from online learning, the result could very well be possession of a negative perception about online learning. Prior research has focused separately on student attitudes (Tanner, Noser, and Langford, 2003; Tanner et al., 2004-1, 2004-2; Tanner et al., 2006), faculty attitudes (Totaro et al., 2005), and administrator attitudes (Tanner et al., 2008). Commitment by administrators and faculty is essential to the success of online learning; thus, the present study attempts to bridge the two by comparing attitudes about and perceptions of online learning between administrators and faculty.

The results of this study should be of interest to university administrators, faculty members, and students who plan to offer, teach, or take online courses in the future. Since many universities are still deciding the extent of their offerings of such courses, this information may be helpful to university administrators in deciding which types of courses at their universities might be offered online. Faculty who are considering teaching one or more online courses may find the results of this study helpful in structuring these online offerings. The results of this study should assist students in gaining a realistic expectation of what to anticipate from online learning courses based on information we have found and studies we have done. It is important that students have a realistic perception of the online learning experience.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The increasing demand by students to acquire an education at times and locations that are convenient, given their busy schedules and personal commitments, makes online learning attractive to working students (Roberts, 1998). Technological advances have made the availability of online learning both economical and practical. The economic advantages of distributing scarce resources, geographically and temporally, to students in remote locations provide a broader market for online education.

In traditional education, "brick and mortar" limit enrollments. Such limitations cannot easily be corrected in the short run. However, with online learning and the appropriate technology, it is technically possible for an institution located in one locale to have many of its students located in remote locations hundreds of miles away (Daniel, 1997; Lewis, Alexander and Farris, 1997).

While technological advances have made online education more readily available, concerns remain. Barriers to widespread acceptance of online learning were identified by Allen and seaman (2006), as part of a report published by The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C). The two most cited issues in this report are: (1) students must possess greater discipline in order to succeed in an online course; and (2) Considerably greater time and effort are required of faculty who teach online courses. Neither issue seems intractable; however, removing these barriers may require the development of novel incentives for both student and instructor groups.

The online learning debate usually focuses on issues related to student learning and outcomes and student attitudes as compared to traditional classroom-based settings (Phillips, 1998; Webster and Hackley, 1997). For instance, one study, through the application of expectancy theory, identified that, on average, students consider improving competence in performing course work as the most attractive outcome of an online learning class (Chen, Lou, and Luo, 2001). Using a meta-analysis approach, a group of researchers found considerable support for the premise that online learning does not diminish the level of student satisfaction when compared to methods of instruction that use the more traditional face-to-face approach (Allen et al., 2002).

one survey found that most first year information technology majors and financial information systems majors perceived learning to be more fun and of better quality within a technology-enhanced, online learning environment (Parker, 2003). A supporting theme is indicated in a study done by Hannay and Newvine (2006), the results of which suggest that students who take online courses perceive a higher-level of quality in their educational endeavors. The results of yet another study reveal that self-management, self-reliance, and accurate expectations of learner responsibilities are significant attributes for a successful online learning experience (Howland and Moore, 2002).

A stark contrast to the three aforementioned studies suggests that a lack of interaction (the capacity to pose questions, share opinions, and engage in dialogue) or presence (a sense of belonging to a group) or both may result in differences in perception by students about how well they may or may not have performed in an online class (Picciano, 2002; Song et al., 2004). Indeed, the issue of "social presence" and how it might impact students' perceptions of online courses and their instructors was examined by Richardson and Swan (2003). The results of their study suggested a positive correlation between the degree of social presence and perceived learning and perceived quality of the instructor.

Perceptions by students concerning the integration of online learning modules as part of traditional, in-class instruction were evaluated by Smart and Cappel (2006). Unlike many of the studies cited above, their study focused on so-called "blended learning," where delivery was done both in-class and online. The results of their study highlight the importance of course planning, course content, and student characteristics.

One study, which compared student persistence and performance in online and classroom business statistics courses, suggests that, while significant differences exist between the two groups in terms of persistence, the learning objectives, as evidenced by the final grade in the courses for those students who persist, is not dependent on the mode of instruction (McLaren, 2004).

Perceptions by students about their instructors and online course content were examined by Johnson et al. (2000). Specifically, they compared learner satisfaction between students enrolled in an online graduate course and students enrolled in an equivalent, in-class graduate course. The comparison metrics included: student ratings of the instructor; quality of the course; evaluation of course structure, support, and interaction; and course grades. The results of their study showed slightly more positive perceptions by graduate students enrolled in the in-class course as compared with their counterparts in the online course.

The increasing emphasis on developing a better understanding of the role of the instructor in online learning, as it might be similar to or different from traditional instruction, is one that continues to draw interest by those in the academic community. In one study (Easton, 2003), interactions among lead faculty, online mentors, and their students were explored. The conclusions of the Easton (2003) study are twofold: (1) online courses are highly labor-intensive, both for students and instructor; and (2) clarification of roles is very important.

Faculty may exhibit differing opinions about online learning and its effectiveness for the student. One interesting study involved interviews with five experts in online learning (Bisoux, 2007). Although the perspectives gleaned from these experts were varied, the common thread among them for educators was that online learning must engage the student, provide relevant experience, and deliver educational value.

Myers et al. (2004) examined the motivation by faculty to teach online learning classes. The results of their study suggest that faculty are interested in teaching online learning classes, mostly for purposes of updating their curriculum vitae and for learning new teaching skills. Additionally, younger and less experienced faculty members are more likely to embrace online learning than their older and more experienced counterparts.

Another study, which compared the attitudes of (non-business) instructors and students at several community colleges, revealed an interesting dichotomy in terms of points-of-view (Inman, 1999). specifically, in this study, the instructors rated the quality of their online courses as equal to or lower than their traditional counterparts, whereas the students felt deeply satisfied with their online experiences. The same study also examined student and instructor attitudes, an objective of which was to develop a regression equation that might be used to predict three dependent variables: instructor ratings, course ratings, and amount learned by students. In contrast to the study done by Inman et al. (1999), our study compares the attitudes of both administrators and faculty toward online learning, with the objective of indentifying similarities and differences between them.

A study done by Wilkes, Simon, and Brooks (2006) investigated perceptions of online learning by undergraduate business students and faculty. Moreover, comparisons between the two groups were examined. Results of their study suggest that faculty perceptions toward online learning are significantly less favorable than students' perceptions toward online learning.

As indicated in the motivation section, prior research has focused separately on student attitudes (Tanner, Noser, Langford, 2003; Tanner et al., 2004-1, 2004-2; Tanner et al., 2006), faculty attitudes (Totaro et al., 2005), and administrator attitudes (Tanner et al., 2008). Because the present study compares attitudes about online learning between two groups--administrators and faculty--it may prove useful to elaborate somewhat on the results of this prior research.

Results from a study done by Tanner, Noser, and Langford (2003) suggest that factors such as age and gender do not play a significant part in undergraduate business students' perceptions of online learning. However, significant differences in perception by these students seem to exist between those who had previous online experience as compared with those students who had no prior online experience. Specifically, students with prior online experience appeared to view online courses more favorably than students who had no prior online experience.

Two studies of undergraduate students--business and non-business--were undertaken by Tanner et al. (2004-1, 2004-2), which focused on students' perceptions of online learning courses. In contrast to the aforementioned study by Tanner, Noser, and Langford (2003), both gender and age appear to impact these students' perceptions of online learning. Moreover, numerous differences in perceptions were found between business majors and their non-business counterparts. Specifically, students who were twenty-one years or older, or who had taken at least one online course, seem to have a more favorable perception of online learning. similarly, business students appear to favor online courses more so than do their non-business counterparts. The latter point might also suggest that business faculty have more exposure to online learning course delivery than non-business faculty.

Business faculty perceptions of online education were the focus of a study done by Totaro et al. (2005). The results of this study suggest that business faculty view undergraduate business students as finding online learning very desirable. An interesting contrast, however, is that these faculty perceive online learning as having numerous shortcomings; these include: the lack of instructor-student/student-student interaction; no structured classroom environment; students tend to teach themselves the course material; the difficulty of teaching quantitative courses online; and the challenges associated with administering exams online.

A study that compares perceptions of 2001-2002 undergraduate students toward online courses with the attitudes and perceptions of students matriculating in 2005 was done by Tanner et al. (2006), the results of which suggest that students continue to express concerns about the overall appeal of online courses.

Business school administrators' perceptions were investigated by Tanner et al. (2008), such that results suggest differences in perception between administrators who have prior experience with online teaching and those who do not have prior experience. Moreover, the results of this study suggest that perception differences may also be based on differences in rank (i.e., Professor, Associate Professor, etc.).

METHODOLOGY

A questionnaire was developed to determine the attitudes of business school administrators toward online courses. This questionnaire was very similar to those given to students (Tanner, Noser, and Langford, 2003; Tanner, Noser, Fuselier, and Totaro, 2004; Tanner, Noser, Fuselier, and Totaro, 2004) and faculty (Totaro, Tanner, Noser, Fitzgerald, and Birch, 2005). The only modifications made were to tailor some of the questions to administrators and faculty. The questionnaire was then given to a simple random sample of one thousand (1,000) business school administrators throughout the United States. In addition to demographic questions on gender, academic rank, current administrative position held, academic experience (both in teaching and as administrators), tenure status, and whether or not the administrator had ever taught an online course, as well as the academic area in which the class was taught, and the maximum enrollment in online classes at their institutions. Additionally, there were also eighteen (18) Likert-type questions concerning online courses and related statements with which the administrators could express various levels of agreement or disagreement (1=strongly Agree; 2=Agree; 3=Neither Agree nor Disagree; 4=Disagree; 5=Strongly Disagree). Usable questionnaires were returned by 152 respondents, representing a response rate of more than 15 percent, which is within the acceptable response rate, according to a widely-cited source on survey research (Alreck and settle, 2004).

In order to also assess the perceptions of business faculty toward online courses, the above-mentioned instrument was given to a random sample of 1,175 faculty members throughout the United States (approximately an equal number in each of the following areas: accounting, economics, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing). And, in order to assure anonymity, no effort was made to group respondents by respondent or by their institutions. Usable questionnaires were returned by 204 respondents, again within the acceptable response rate mentioned above.

RESULTS

Table 1 presents a demographic profile of the two sets of respondents. As seen in the table, more than three-fourths of both groups were males. More than 98 percent of the administrators held the rank of associate or full professor, while slightly less than 80 percent of the faculty respondents were associate or full professors. Ninety-four percent of the administrators had tenure, while slightly more than 76 percent of the faculty respondents were tenured. The administrators had more than twenty-two years of teaching experience, on the average, and the faculty had an average of more than eighteen years of teaching experience.

More than 47 percent of the administrators had taught at least one online course before, while slightly more than 31 percent of the faculty respondents had some online teaching experience. More of the administrators had taught online in the fields of management and management information systems than any other field of business, while the most common areas for the faculty respondents were accounting and finance, closely followed by marketing. The average class size of online courses for the administrators' universities was slightly less than 40 students, and slightly more than 31 students for the faculty respondents, a difference which was not found to be statistically different.

In order to assess differences in perceptions of online courses by the administrators and faculty respondents, significance tests were performed, and the results are shown in Table 2. As the table shows, significant differences between the perceptions of administrators and faculty members were found on eight of the eighteen statements. The faculty exhibited a significantly higher level of agreement with the statement that the interaction and/or lectures are greater in a regular classroom than in an online setting. Faculty also felt more strongly than administrators that face-to-face interaction between students and their instructor outside the classroom is important for college classes. A possible reason for this finding is because the faculty is obviously more involved working with the students in day-to-day activities than are administrators. Also, faculty did not agree that the lack of a required classroom in an online course appealed to them, and with the statement that as many online classes as possible should be offered in the future. Again, a possible explanation for this is because the faculty have been teaching these classes, and perhaps are closer to what actually occurs in online classes than are administrators.

Faculty respondents also showed a greater level of agreement when asked if they would miss the face-to-face interaction with students in online classes. Additionally, when asked if the lack of face-to-face, student-to-student interaction associated with online classes would hinder the learning experience, faculty respondents again showed a significantly stronger level of agreement. Faculty also agreed more strongly that online tests are more difficult to administer, and that online courses require students to teach themselves more than in a traditional class.

Both groups exhibited about the same level of agreement that the flexible class times in an online class is an advantage for the student and for the faculty. They also agreed that quantitative courses in online settings are among the most difficult for college students, but both were almost neutral as to whether or not more non-quantitative business courses should be offered online.

Both groups had about the same level of agreement that online course formats allow students to study at their own pace, and that online courses appeal to many students because such courses have no required, official classroom setting. Both groups also agreed that the textbook is more important in an online class than in a traditional class, and that online courses require more self-discipline by students than traditional courses.

With respect to disagreement, both groups disagreed that online tests are more difficult for students. Lastly, both groups exhibited the same level of disagreement with the statement that the technology required for an online class adds to the educational value of the online experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study suggest strongly that differences in perception about online learning persist between administrators and faculty. Moreover, our findings are consistent with the findings of earlier studies as discussed in our review of the literature. Although not measured by our analysis, it is worth mentioning that at least one reason for differences in perception about online learning between administrators and faculty may be due to the heterogeneous points of view and motivations for online learning between administrators and faculty.

Both the differences and similarities in perception of online learning suggested by our results should be considered by administrators and faculty prior to making online courses available. Administrators need to be aware of the perceptions, concerns, and indeed, the anxieties of both their peers and faculty in order to enhance the likelihood that online courses will be viewed as valuable, and valued by, both constituencies. If administrators can effectively communicate the benefits perceived by their peers and faculty, while belaying the concerns of these groups regarding student-faculty interaction, access, and the quality of the experience, then the probability of a successful outcome will be enhanced. Online learning may not be for everyone--including both administrators and faculty--but a clearer grasp of administrator and faculty perceptions by administrators may go a long way in contributing to making the online experience a positive one for all who pursue it.

LIMITATIONS

Alternative data collection and analysis tools are available, which could provide more detailed and meaningful results and comparison between administrators and faculty members. However, given that this study is an opening attempt to gather information, our decision to employ a rather brief and simple survey instrument was based mainly on the hope that an adequate response rate would be obtained.

FUTURE WORK

Comparisons of perceptions between administrators and students, might recast the online learning debate in a completely different way from what has been done thus far.

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John R. Tanner

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

jrt4671@louisiana.edu

Thomas C. Noser

Western Kentucky University

Michael W. Totaro

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Table 1: Demographic Profile of Administrative and Faculty Respondents Percent of Respondents Demographic Characteristics, et. al. Admin. Faculty Gender: Male 78.3 75.7 Female 21.7 24.3 Academic Rank: Instructor/Adjunct 0.0 4.5 Assistant Professor 1.4 15.8 Associate Professor 28.5 33.2 Professor 70.1 46.5 Years of College Teaching Experience: Range 5--60 1--42 Mean 22.69 18.55 Median 23.00 20.00 standard Deviation 8.89 8.92 Tenure Status: Tenured 94.0 76.1 Not Tenured 6.0 23.9 Have you taught an online course before? Yes 47.7 31.1 No 52.3 68.9 If yes, in what area did you teach? Accounting 11.0 18.8 Business Law 1.4 0.0 Economics 8.2 12.4 Finance 12.3 18.8 Hospitality Management 1.4 0.0 Management Information Systems (MIS/CIS) 19.2 15.0 Management 26.0 11.2 Marketing 6.9 17.5 Production/operations Management 4.1 0.0 statistics/Management science 6.8 6.3 Other 2.7 0.0 What is the maximum enrollment for online courses at? Range No max--500 No max--98 Mean 39.84 31.19 Median 30.00 30.00 standard Deviation 69.86 18.05 Table 2: Results of Comparisons of Attitudes of Administrators vs. Faculty Respondents toward Online Course Offerings and Related Statements Means * Likert Statements Admin. Faculty 1. One of the advantages, for the 1.54 1.62 student, of taking an online course, is that class times are flexible. 2. One of the advantages, for the 2.49 2.42 instructor, of teaching an online course, is that class times are flexible. 3. The interaction and/or lectures with 2.75 2.22 the instructor are greater in a regular classroom setting than in an online class. 4. Quantitative courses in an online 2.59 2.42 setting are among the most difficult for college students. 5. The online course format allows 2.46 2.38 students to study at their own pace. 6. More non-quantitative business 3.07 2.98 courses should be offered online. 7. Face-to-face interaction between 2.27 2.00 students and their instructor outside the classroom is important for college classes. 8. The fact that an online course has no 3.30 3.81 required classroom setting appeals to me. 9. Online courses appeal to students 2.38 2.48 because there is no required classroom setting. 10. In the future, our college should 3.66 4.20 offer as many online classes as possible 11. I believe that faculty would miss 2.11 1.84 the face-to-face interaction with students in an online class. 12. The lack of face-to-face, student- 2.54 2.14 to-student interaction in an online class would hinder the learning experience. 13. The textbook is more crucial in 2.55 2.33 an online class than in a traditional class. 14. Tests in an online course are 3.25 3.16 more difficult for students. 15. Tests in an online course are 2.78 2.42 more difficult to administer. 16. Online courses require the 2.43 2.02 students to teach themselves the material more so than in a "traditional" in -class course. 17. The technology required to take 3.01 3.18 an online course increases the educational value of the experience. 18. Online courses require the 1.92 1.99 student to be more self-disciplined than in traditional courses. Standard Deviations * Likert Statements Admin. Faculty 1. One of the advantages, for the 1.08 1.09 student, of taking an online course, is that class times are flexible. 2. One of the advantages, for the 1.35 1.322 instructor, of teaching an online course, is that class times are flexible. 3. The interaction and/or lectures with 1.35 1.35 the instructor are greater in a regular classroom setting than in an online class. 4. Quantitative courses in an online 1.12 1.21 setting are among the most difficult for college students. 5. The online course format allows 1.21 1.04 students to study at their own pace. 6. More non-quantitative business 1.04 1.22 courses should be offered online. 7. Face-to-face interaction between 1.15 1.21 students and their instructor outside the classroom is important for college classes. 8. The fact that an online course has no 1.12 1.06 required classroom setting appeals to me. 9. Online courses appeal to students 1.08 1.10 because there is no required classroom setting. 10. In the future, our college should 1.23 1.15 offer as many online classes as possible 11. I believe that faculty would miss 1.11 1.18 the face-to-face interaction with students in an online class. 12. The lack of face-to-face, student- 1.20 1.16 to-student interaction in an online class would hinder the learning experience. 13. The textbook is more crucial in 1.20 1.06 an online class than in a traditional class. 14. Tests in an online course are 0.91 0.88 more difficult for students. 15. Tests in an online course are 1.35 1.21 more difficult to administer. 16. Online courses require the 1.24 0.98 students to teach themselves the material more so than in a "traditional" in-class course. 17. The technology required to take 1.03 1.15 an online course increases the educational value of the experience. 18. Online courses require the 1.10 1.14 student to be more self-disciplined than in traditional courses. Likert Statements t-stat p-value 1. One of the advantages, for the -0.224 .470 student, of taking an online course, is that class times are flexible. 2. One of the advantages, for the 0.457 .648 instructor, of teaching an online course, is that class times are flexible. 3. The interaction and/or lectures with 3.611 .000 ** the instructor are greater in a regular classroom setting than in an online class. 4. Quantitative courses in an online 1.302 .194 setting are among the most difficult for college students. 5. The online course format allows 0.108 .544 students to study at their own pace. 6. More non-quantitative business 0.714 .476 courses should be offered online. 7. Face-to-face interaction between 2.129 .034 ** students and their instructor outside the classroom is important for college classes. 8. The fact that an online course has no -4.350 .000 ** required classroom setting appeals to me. 9. Online courses appeal to students -0.849 .396 because there is no required classroom setting. 10. In the future, our college should -4.196 .000 ** offer as many online classes as possible 11. I believe that faculty would miss 2.172 .031 ** the face-to-face interaction with students in an online class. 12. The lack of face-to-face, student- 3.081 .002 ** to-student interaction in an online class would hinder the learning experience. 13. The textbook is more crucial in 1.810 .071 an online class than in a traditional class. 14. Tests in an online course are -0.878 .381 more difficult for students. 15. Tests in an online course are 2.542 .011 ** more difficult to administer. 16. Online courses require the 3.439 .001 ** students to teach themselves the material more so than in a "traditional" in -class course. 17. The technology required to take -1.364 .173 an online course increases the educational value of the experience. 18. Online courses require the -0.574 .566 student to be more self-disciplined than in traditional courses. * 1 = Strongly Agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly Disagree ** Significant at .05 or less level