G AUGING THE EFFICACY OF O NLINE L EARNING It’s popular, but is it good? Matthew Musumeche

S TUDENTS P ERCEPTIONS OF D ISTANCE L EARNING, O NLINE L EARNING AND THE T RADITIONAL C LASSROOM Student population in college courses is changing to married, employed and non-residential students. Students do not perceive Online Learning and Distance Learning as being the same. Distance Learning survey results indicate that students do not prefer to take a distance learning class to a traditional class. However, they believe that they can make the same grade in a DL as they would in a traditional class Students feel that it is difficult to contribute to class discussions in a DL course. In general, students felt that Online Learning was not as effective as traditional classes, but felt that OL was more convenient and students wanted more OL classes to be offered. O'Malley, John, and Harrison McCraw. "Students perceptions of distance learning, online learning and the traditional classroom." Online journal of distance learning administration 2.4 (1999).

S TUDENTS ’ L EARNING S TYLES IN T WO C LASSES Learning preferences exist, and have been recognized by the profession for years. Students who report “independent” as their learning preference are most successful in distance learning classes and prefer online coursework to classroom based education. The opposite was true for “dependent” students who prefer to be “good students” who aim to please the teacher by being more participatory. “Online students appeared to be driven more by intrinsic motives and clearly not by the reward structure of the class.” Diaz, David P., and Ryan B. Cartnal. "Students' learning styles in two classes: Online distance learning and equivalent on-campus." College teaching 47.4 (1999):

L EARNING AT A D ISTANCE : E NGAGED OR N OT ? Distance learning is fastest growing in postsecondary ed… but are students engaged ? Author finds that most distance learners take classes for their convenience, and tend to be a “different kind of student” who were older, cared for dependents, and worked off campus. Students in online classes are as or more engaged than their on campus counterparts, with the exception of “active and collaborative learning activities.” Older learners report greater gains from online classes, but they are “ less involved in activities that depend on interacting with others.” Chen, P., Robert Gonyea, and George Kuh. "Learning at a distance: Engaged or not." Innovate: Journal of Online Education 4.3 (2008): 2008.