A casual-comparative study between in-residence and virtual professional military education: Principles which may impact student performance and satisfaction

摘要

The purpose of this research is to investigate Chickering and Reisser (1993) Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education and determine the relationship, if any, among these principles and student performance and satisfaction in the in-residence verses virtual Professional Military Education (PME) programs. Additionally, determine if there is a difference in satisfaction and performance between the virtual and in-residence PME. All Airmen (Amn) of the United States Air Force (USAF) must attend Airman Leadership School (ALS) as a part of their Professional Military Education (PME) (Air Force Instruction 36-2502, 2009; Air Force Instruction 36-2618, 2009). This training is offered via two venues: an in-residence program and a virtual learning program. The average age of students (Senior Airmen) attending ALS is 28.7 years of age (J. Geidner, personal communication, January 29, 2015), which aligns these individuals to the Millennial Generation (Koeller, 2012; Papp & Matulich, 2011). Despite a population of students well-versed in the use of computers and technology, the individuals attending the virtual learning program experience a failure rate which is 34.21% higher than for students attending in-residence (J. Geidner, personal communication, January 29, 2015; E. DeVoursney, personal communication, January 30, 2015). Research by Chickering and Reisser (1993) describes seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education that facilitate effective learning in both in-residence and virtual environments. Partridge and Hallam (2006) suggests these principles of good practice may align well with the characteristics of millennial learners. This research has determined we can support current literature (Koeller, 2012, Espinoza et al., 2010; Papp & Matulich, 2011, Coomes & Debard, 2004) which shows a relationship between Chickering and Reisser's (1993) seven principles and the characteristics of the millennial students (Figure 1). It identified there is a statistical significant difference in student's satisfaction and performance between the two learning programs. There is a moderate to strong positive correlation, in both in-residence and virtual ALS, between the seven principles, satisfaction and performance. The educational venue, with the inclusion of the seven principles, statistically significantly predict student satisfaction and performance. Therefore, the research has shown with the inclusion of Chickering and Reisser (1993) Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education there will be an increase in student performance and satisfaction.