Online Versus Face to Face College Courses

Students have perceptions of the on-line course environment whether they have taken an on-line course or not. A random sample (N = 100) of undergraduate (n = 34) and graduate (n = 66) students were administered a student perception questionnaire on students\u27 attitudes towards studying online versus traditional classroom instruction in a large, private, southern New England University. Thirty-nine percent of the participants have a part-time job, 29% have a full-time job, and the remaining 32% are not currently employed. Thirty-three percent of the sample was male and 67% were female. Results of the survey questionnaire indicate that 29% of the sample attended or had some online course experience. Fifty-six percent reported having positive perception towards online education and yet only 22% would actually take an online course if given the opportunity. Time management and flexibility were given as prime reasons for taking on-line courses. Although all students use the Internet very much in their daily life, the results show that students still seem to prefer the traditional classroom environment for their education