The On-Line "Classroom": What Do Students Think?
John R. Tanner, Thomas Noser, Jeanne Fuselier, Michael W. Totaro
In this paper, the authors discuss the perceptions of undergraduate college students regarding online, or distancelearning, courses. Specifically, a questionnaire was given to 893 undergraduate students, the results ofwhich showed that a number ofdifferences in perception exist between students based upon age, degree ofprevious online course experience, and whether they were business or non-business majors. .The authors suggest possible reasons for these differences, andmake recommendations to university administrators andfaculty as to what couldbe done to help reduce or limit these differences. The results ofthis study should be ofinterest to university administrators, faculty members, andstudents who plan to offer, teach, or take online courses in thefuture. 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 mayfind the results ofthis study helpful in structuring these online offerings. This research is intended to give students a realistic expectation ofwhat to anticipatefrom distance learning courses based on information we have found and studies we have done.
John R. Tanner is a professor in the Department ofBusiness Systems, Analysis, and Technology and the Melvin R. Boesch/Regents Professor of Business Administration at the University ofLouisiana at Lafayette. He has published in such journals as Journal of Management Information Systems, Information and Management, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal ofReal Estate Research, Real Estate Economics, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Marketing Education, and the .Financial Education.
Thomas Noser is an associateprofessor of economics in the Department of Economics at Western Kentucky .He has published in such journals as the Journal s and Economics Research, Research in Higher, Journal ofContemporary Business Issues, and Economics Review, and Land Economics. Noser has also served as a consultant to numerous industries in the areas ofstatistical process control/quality control.
Jeanne Fuselier is an adjunct instructor in the it of Business Systems,Analysis, and Technology attheUniversity ofLouisiana at Lafayette. She holds a business administration from the University ofat Lafayette.
Michael W. Totaro is an instructor in the Department of Systems, Analysis, and Technology at the of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has published in such as Journal ofComputer Information Systems, AppliedBusiness Research, Journal of Accounting Finance Theory, Review ofBusiness Information Review ofAccounting Information Systems, and al Research Quarterly.
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