Face-to-Face Courses: The Role of Gender, Team Learning Orientation, and Sense of Classroom Community

The study investigated the differential impact of sense of classroom community on effort in online versus face-to-face courses while controlling for potential effects of gender and team learning orientation. The interaction effects from ANOVA results suggested a gender difference across the two course delivery formats, with male students expending more effort than females in online courses while females put more energy than males in face-to-face courses. The hierarchical regression analyses results showed differential predictive patterns of student effort, with multiple predictors of student effort in face-to-face courses in contrast to a single value-interest predictor in online courses after controlling for individual differences. The results suggested the need of instructional differentiation of the two course delivery formats and the importance of enhancing the value and interest of online courses to promote student effort in distance education programs