You\u27ve Got Mail: Student Preferences of Instructor Communication in Online Courses in an Age of Advancing Technologies.

The purpose of this study was to determine students\u27 current preferred ways to receive course communication from their online instructors. In a time when technology is changing daily, and a time when young people are often the most up-to-date with that new technology, students\u27 preferences for how they receive online course communication is apt to change often too. In order to determine students\u27 current preferences, a survey was administered two semesters to both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in an at least online course at a university in the Midwest. Survey results indicated that 97% of the students preferred to receive communication from their online instructors through email, and secondly, through course announcements posted in the learning management system. These findings provide valuable information for instructors who teach online courses to help them determine the most effective strategies for communicating with their students