Determining Effectiveness of Various Delivery Methods in an Information Technology/Information Systems Curriculum

The emergence of increasingly sophisticated communication technologies and the media-rich extensions of the World Wide Web have prompted universities to use alternatives to the traditional classroom teaching and learning methods. This demand for alternative delivery methods has led to the development of a wide range of eLearning techniques. Nonetheless, skepticism towards delivery methods as a "means of communication " is still common. This conflict has influenced research on the subject. Many studies have examined the effectiveness of eLearning (also called “technology-enabled learning ” and “online learning”) but very few of the results can be generalized to Information Technology/Information Systems curricula. The current study is an extension of a previous study conducted by the authors that examined the perceived effectiveness of online learning courses in a Computer and Information Systems curricula. The current study probes deeper into various online learning formats and into the students who enroll in the courses. Specifically, this new study looks at which non-traditional method of course content delivery (i.e., online, partially online, on-ground with online supplements) is most effective for Information Technology/Information Systems courses, as well as which instructional method of course content delivery provides the best learning for each grouping of Information Technology/Information Systems subject areas. Finally, this study attempts to profile groups of students who prefer an online format to a traditional on-ground forma