Student Participation in Online learning in Business Course at Universitas Terbuka

This paper presents findings of a research on participation in four online learning courses offered by UT Faculty of Economics. The purpose of the study is to have an understanding of how distance students participate and which factors influence participation in online tutorials. Online tutorial has been used by Universitas Terbuka (UT) to provide two-way communication channel for distance students, facilitate learning process, and assist them in preparing for examination. The findings of the research indicate that there is low participation of students in online tutorials, in terms of students’ contribution to online discussion forum and to work on assignments. Findings of the questionnaire survey indicate that most respondents perceive that tutors have addressed students’ questions on topics appropriately and given motivation to students to learn. One constraint in online tutorials relates to slow feedback from tutors to students, while access, costs, and computer skills do not hamper students’ participation in online tutorials. Some recommendations are presented. First, tutors are advised to give feedback immediately to respond to students’ queries on email. Second, topics on current issues should be presented in the form of case studie