Education

Distance Education

The current popularity of distance education has exceeded most expectations. Over 90% of public universities offer online courses (Simonson, 2003). The two major concerns about future directions of universities are whether distance education is a viable approach to teaching and learning that delivers high-quality content and will enough students accept the distance education model to make it economically feasible. Simonson (2003) reports a study conducted by the Sloan Consortium that found that a majority of chief academic officers believe that learning outcomes in online courses will exceed traditional courses, overall growth rates for online courses is expected to be 20% in private institutions, and 40% in for-profit institutions, and “given and option, students will enroll in online courses.”

Online courses are growing in popularity with students. In a recent study, nearly 70% of students who took online courses were either satisfied or very satisfied with the online learning experience (Beatty & Motera-Guiterrez 2000). More recently, Montgomery & Kandies (2004) found that students like online courses for the flexibility and convenience they offered. Students who live a great distance from the universities and students who have children at home are also good candidates for online courses (Miller 2003; Berger 1999). Other researchers have found that students who hold full time jobs are more likely to sign up for online courses (Phillips 1998).

Previous Research Findings

Previous research indicates that computer-mediated technologies which support online courses (a common form of distance learning) are perceived as effective modes of instruction (Hiltz 1986). However, some research has found that distance learning can produce negative outcomes. Mottet (2000) noted that instructors perceived distance learning negatively because of diminished contact with students and loss of control over the classroom environment caused by technological...