Identifying characteristics of students who opt for distance education.

Currently Web-based instruction is one of the fastest growing instructional technologies, particularly at the University level. At the same time, the number of students who choose web-based format of Distance Education (DE) are also growing rapidly. In accordance with that, the necessity to ascertain what motivates students to enroll in this particular mode arises. The purpose of this investigation was to identify demographic characteristics and the motivational profile of the DE students, as well as to find out what barriers affect the enrollment decision. The subjects for the survey were 240 students enrolled in DE and on-campus studies at the University of Windsor. A 55-item questionnaire was designed in order to identify the motivational factors that influence students\u27 decisions to enroll in Web-Based (WB) courses. The questions focused on students\u27 computer skills, motivational goals for enrollment, and barriers to on-campus learning. Moreover, detailed demographic characteristics (including age, gender, marital status, vocational level, etc.) were obtained from the participants. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2001 .Q87. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 41-04, page: 0887. Adviser: Larry Morton. Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001