An investigation into the complexities of an existing on-line distance education program at a small private Southeastern university.

摘要

This study investigated possible factors behind the failure of Union University's on-line distance education program. A multi-methodological design consisting of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to identify factors and experiences that helped and hindered the outcome. The study explored demographic variables and their possible influences on non-traditional student interest in the program. Experiences of students and faculty involved with the courses were also examined.; The quantitative analysis used descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to examine factors most related to technological efficacy and willingness to enroll in on-line course. The findings suggested that students who are younger, have less income, and fewer years of education are more likely to express interest in enrolling in on-line courses. Gender, education, and income levels had little affect on technological perceptions. Age was significantly correlated with perceptions of technological efficacy with younger students holding significantly higher perceptions of their levels of technological efficacy than did older students. Age, education, and income correlated significantly with interest in taking the on-line courses with younger students expressing significantly more interest than older students. Students with lower incomes reported the most interest in the courses. There were no significant differences between males and females and other dependent variables. Findings suggested that perception of technological efficacy is not a primary factor in interest in on-line courses.; Qualitative interviews of students revealed that they were generally positive about the learning experience. Factors inhibiting the learning experiences included a lack of technical support, lack of sufficient student to student interaction and student to teacher interaction, and low tech use of the medium as inhibiting the learning experience.; Qualitative interviews of faculty revealed a mix of negative and positive experiences. Lack of administrative support, training, technical support, and the increased time necessary to develop courses were cited as major hindrance factors to the teaching experience. Overall, faculty liked this teaching method and taught the courses more for intrinsic rather than extrinsic gratification.