AN INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS AND SATISFACTION OF ONLINE VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE COURSES

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1 AN INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS AND SATISFACTION OF ONLINE VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE COURSES Cynthia Barnes, Department of Information Systems & Analysis, Lamar University Beaumont, TX 77710, (409) , Elizabeth Simmons, Department of Information Systems & Analysis, Lamar University Beaumont, TX 77710, (409) , ABSTRACT Millions of college students enroll in online courses every semester. And the number of courses and entire degree programs offered online is continuing to increase. Ever since this trend began, faculty have debated whether the students learn as much in an online course as they do in traditional face-to-face courses. Because so much research has already been conducted on student performance or student effectiveness in online versus face-to-face classes, we wanted to investigate a different perspective of online teaching versus traditional teaching. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine student perceptions of learning effectiveness and satisfaction of online versus face-to-face courses. Several hundred students were surveyed to find out what opinions they had concerning learning effectiveness and course satisfaction between online and traditional courses. INTRODUCTION Nothing has been a bigger disruptor to higher education than the Internet. Today, millions of students pursuing degrees are enrolled in online classes. In 2010, the Sloan Research Consortium conducted a survey of 2,500 U.S. colleges and universities and found that 5.6 million students, which was 29 percent of the total college and university enrollment at the time, were enrolled in at least one online class (Allen and Seaman, 2010). Babson Survey Research Group at Babson College in Massachusetts found that more than 6,000,000 students were taking at least one online course in 2011 (Allen and Seaman, 2011). The Internet s role in changing the method of teaching is transformational (Franzoni & Assar, 2007, Greenhow, et al., 2009). As the trend towards online education continues to intensify, the controversy remains as to which teaching method is most effective, face-to-face or online. Research comparing online versus face-to-face learning is mixed, with results ranging from online superiority to no difference to face-to-face superiority. Purpose of the Research Because so much research has already been conducted on student performance or student effectiveness in online versus face-to-face classes, we wanted to investigate a different perspective of online teaching versus traditional teaching. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to -81-

2 examine student perceptions of learning effectiveness and satisfaction of online versus face-toface courses. The students who were surveyed attend a regional university and were currently enrolled in at least one online class and in face-to-face business courses during the fall 2015 semester. It s important to get this feedback from the students to improve the design and delivery of online classes in the future. After all, colleges and universities consider student satisfaction as one of the major elements in determining the quality of online programs in today s market (Yukselturk & Yildirim, 2008; Calli, Balcikanli, Calli, Cebeci, & Seymen, 2013). Review of the Literature The differences in perceived learning between an online or face-to-face (F2F) environment have been discussed for several years (Batts 2008, Atan, et al., 2004). Much research has been done proving how effective face-to-face courses have been through evaluating the scores made on exams, student evaluations, and student feedback. Yet, there has been a lingering controversy in the literature and in academia as to whether online courses are as effective as traditional courses (Chen and Jones 2007; Hiltz 1993). Fortune, Shifflett, and Sibley (2006) found that students enrolled in several online and face-to-face (F2F) sections of a business communication course were similar with respect to their perceptions of skill development and learning, while differences were observed in the area of face-to-face interaction; the online students felt a lesser need for a face-to-face classroom setting and were satisfied with what they were learning regardless of the teaching modality. Supporting this finding, Larson and Sung (2009) determined that there were no differences in learning perceptions between the online and F2F delivery modes and that blended classes, e.g., ones that combine online and F2F instruction, do well when measuring learning effectiveness and student and faculty satisfaction. However, Coats and Humphreys, et. al. (2001) reported that the results of their experiment indicated that students in face-to-face sections of Principles of Economics scored better on the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE) than students in online sections. The students who scored the highest scores preferred the traditional face-to-face environment. Conversely, Tucker (2000) conducted an experimental study that compared the effectiveness of online versus face-to-face business communication students. The study found no significant differences between pretest scores and final course grades. However, examination revealed significant differences between post-test scores, final exam scores and students age with online students (the older part of the sample) having higher post-test scores and higher final exam scores. As Clark-Ibanez and Scott (2008) have noted, many students like online classes for the flexibility and anonymity they afford them and even the savings they experience from not having to pay for parking and gasoline. Liking the online format might in turn lead students to rate such classes more positively than traditional classroom-based courses. Opponents of online classes disagree, worrying that online classes place too much of the burden on students and may adversely affect education quality. Students have more discretion over how they manage their time. While such flexibility is typically viewed as a benefit, it could be a drawback if students fall behind on course material. Cramming for tests is a notoriously bad -82-

3 method for learning (Bloom and Shuell 1981), and if online courses breed this type of preparatory behavior, students may view them as less effective. The lack of face-to-face interaction with the instructor also may negatively affect how students think about their online instructors and the education they receive. This research will contribute additional insight to the controversy of which teaching modality the students think best supports learning effectiveness and course satisfaction. Method of Research We sent an electronic survey to Business faculty in this regional university in the fall 2015 and asked them to encourage their students enrolled in a variety of Business courses to complete it. Some of the faculty offered extra credit to their students who completed the survey. We received 376 student responses. It is not known how many faculty encouraged their students to participate in this research or how many total students received the survey, so an overall percentage of respondents can t be determined. Only students who had taken and completed at least one online course were allowed to participate in this research project. FINDINGS FROM SURVEY Over 80 percent of the students who completed the survey were juniors and seniors who majored in a variety of Business programs. When asked to choose their age category, almost 90 percent were in the millennial category (between the ages of 18 34). When asked how many online courses they had taken, 42 percent indicated they had taken at least three online courses and 23 percent responded they had taken as many as six online courses. Fifteen percent responded they had taken 10 or more online courses. Because of the page constraint limitation for these Proceedings, only ten of the survey s most important questions/statements are presented below (out of 25 total questions), along with the student responses given in a table underneath each question. Question 1: I wanted to take online courses because I believed they would be easier than the same courses taught face-to-face on campus. Table 1 Responses Strongly Disagree 15.43% Disagree 32.18% Neutral 25.53% Agree 21.01% Strongly Agree 5.3% It s interesting that 47 percent disagreed that online courses would be easier than the same courses taught face-to-face, while 26 percent agreed that online courses were easier than the same courses -83-

4 taught face-to-face. Almost 26 percent chose neutral as their response. A common perception is that online courses are easier, but many of these students didn t think so. Question 2: I wanted to take online courses because they are more flexible and convenient than attending face-to-face classes. Table 2 Responses Strongly Disagree 2.94% Disagree 5.61% Neutral 7.22% Agree 36.91% Strongly Agree 47.33% Table 2 shows the overwhelming majority of students, 84 percent, either strongly agreed or agreed that they took online courses because they were more flexible and convenient than face-to-face courses. A small percentage of about 8 percent disagreed. Question 3: I prefer taking exams online instead of taking exams in a face-to-face environment. Table 3 Responses Strongly Disagree 10.38% Disagree 19.94% Neutral 34.70% Agree 27.59% Strongly Agree 7.38% As Table 3 indicates, about 35 percent of the students preferred taking exams online instead of taking them in a face-to-face environment. Thirty percent preferred taking face-to-face exams. Almost 35 percent gave a neutral answer. Question 4: I agree that students enrolled in online courses should be proctored (i.e ProctorU) when taking their exams. Table 4 Responses Strongly Disagree 20.22% Disagree 31.42% Neutral 29.78% Agree 15.03% Strongly Agree 3.56% As shown in table 4, more than 51 percent of the students didn t think that online exams should be proctored, while almost 20 percent felt they should be. Almost 30 percent gave a neutral response. -84-

5 Question 5: I prefer learning independently in an online environment where I can study the chapters and listen to the videos at my own pace instead of following an instructor s class teaching schedule in face-to-face courses. Table 5 Responses Strongly Disagree 7.38% Disagree 23.50% Neutral 26.50% Agree 26.50% Strongly Agree 16.94% As can be seen in Table 5, 43 percent agreed that they prefer learning independently in an online environment instead of being in a more structured face-to-face environment, while almost 31 percent preferred learning in a more structured, face-to-face environment. More than 26 percent checked the neutral response. Question 6: My semester grades have been higher in online courses than in face-to-face courses. Table 6 Responses Strongly Disagree 7.65% Disagree 20.21% Neutral 46.72% Agree 19.94% Strongly Agree 5.46% Looking at Table 6, it s surprising to see that the largest percentage, percent, chose neutral as their response. About 25 percent of the students agreed that their semester grades were higher in online courses and almost 28 percent disagreed that their semester grades were higher in online courses. Question 7: I feel I have learned more in online courses than I have in my face-to-face courses. Table 7 Responses Strongly Disagree 8.46% Disagree 32.78% Neutral 38.79% Agree 15.02% Strongly Agree 4.91% As Table 7 reveals, 41 percent either strongly disagreed or disagreed that they learned more in online courses than in face-to-face courses, but almost 20 percent agreed that they did learn more -85-

6 in online courses than in face-to-face courses. A big percentage of almost 39 percent gave a neutral response. Question 8: I feel I learned as much in my online courses as I have in my face-to-face courses. Table 8 Responses Strongly Disagree 10.96% Disagree 20.86% Neutral 30.21% Agree 27.81% Strongly Agree 10.16% As can be seen in Table 8, almost 32 percent disagreed that they learned as much in their online courses as they did in their face-to-face courses. However, 38 percent agreed that they learned as much in online courses as in face-to-face courses; and 30 percent chose the neutral response. Question 9: I feel certain courses (i.e. Accounting, Statistics, capstone courses, etc.) should be taken as a face-to-face course because I would learn the material more effectively than if taken online. Table 9 Responses Strongly Disagree 3.55% Disagree 12.84% Neutral % Agree 30.60% Strongly Agree 31.14% As can be seen in Table 9, almost 62 percent of the students agreed that certain courses, such as Accounting, Statistics, and capstone courses should be taken as a face-to-face course in order to learn the material more effectively. Sixteen percent disagreed with this statement, and over 20 percent gave a neutral response. Question 10: In my opinion, I feel that a student learns more in a face-to-face course than in online courses. Table 10 Responses Strongly Disagree 3.82% Disagree 16.67% Neutral 28.96% Agree 34.43% Strongly Agree 16.12% Almost 51 percent of the students agreed or strongly agreed that a student learns more in a faceto-face course than in online courses, as revealed in Table 10. A little over 20 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed that they learned more in a face-to-face class than in an online course. It s -86-

7 interesting to compare these responses in Table 10 to the responses in Table 8 and to also notice the high percentage of Neutral responses in both tables. CONCLUSIONS The purpose of this research was to assess student perceptions of learning effectiveness and course satisfaction between online and traditional courses. Based on an analysis of some of the most important questions from the survey answered by 376 students, a large percentage of students disagreed that online courses were easier than face-to-face courses. More than 80 percent wanted to take online courses because they were more flexible and convenient than traditional courses. Thirty-five percent preferred taking online exams while 30 percent preferred face-to-face exams. However, a majority of 51 percent did not think that online exams should be proctored. It is interesting that when asked if their semester grades were higher in online courses, the largest percentage of students (46.72 percent) chose the neutral response, while only 25 percent said their semester grades were higher in online courses and almost 28 percent disagreed their semester grades were higher in online courses. The perceptive researcher will notice that on several of these questions, a large percentage of respondents chose Neutral as their response. A possible reason for this could be that the survey was not totally anonymous. In order for the students to receive extra credit for completing the survey, they were asked to provide their school address, which was matched to the student names in order to give them extra credit. The large percentage of students who chose the Neutral response for many of the most important questions (#1, #3, #6, and #7) [and others not reported in this paper] probably didn t want to give an honest response feeling as though their true answers could incriminate them. If the survey had been totally anonymous, without any personal identifiers, the responses for the questions noted above would probably be very different. A relatively large percentage of students (38 percent) felt they learned as much in an online course as they would have in a similar face-to-face course, but then in another question, the largest percentage (over 51 percent) indicated that students learn more in face-to-face classes. Some of these findings seem to contradict each other, thus adding to the controversy as to whether students feel they learn more in traditional or online courses and if they have higher course satisfaction in the online courses versus the traditional courses. REFERENCES Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Class differences: Online education in the United States. Retrieved from Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the distance: Online education in the United States. Wellesley, MA: Babson Survey Research Group. Batts, D. (2008). Comparison of student and instructor perceptions of best practices in online technology courses. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4, Retrieved from Bloom, K.C. and Shuell, T. (1981). Effects of Massed and Distributed Practice on the Learning and Retention of Second-language Vocabulary. Journal of Educational Research 74(4):

8 Calli, L., Balcikanli, C., Calli, F., Cebeci, H., and Seymen, O. (2013). Identifying factors that contribute to the satisfaction of students in e-learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 14, Chen, C.C. and Jones, K.T. (2007). Blended Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Settings: assessing Effectiveness and Student Perceptions in an MBA Accounting Course. The Journal of Educators Online, 4: (1) Clark-Ibanez, M. and Scott, L. (2008). Learning to Teach Online. Teaching Sociology 36(1): Coats, D. and Humphries, B. et. al. (2001). No Significant Distance Between Face-to-Face and Online Instruction: Evidence from Principles of Economics. Proceedings of the Allied Social Science Association. January Fortune, M.F., Shifflett, B, and Sibley, R. A. (2006). A comparison of online (high tech) and traditional (high touch) learning in business communication courses in Silicon Valley. Journal of Education for Business, 81(4), Mar-Apr Franzoni, A., & Assar, S. (2007). Using learning styles to enhance an e-learning system. Proceedings of the 6th European Conference on e-learning, Copenhagen, Denmark: Academic conference management, Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Research on learning and teaching with web 2.0: Bridging conversations. Educational Researcher, 38(4), Retrieved from Sage Journals Online. Hiltz, S.R. (1993). Correlates of learning in a virtual classroom. International Journal of Man- Machine Studies, 39: Larson, D.K. and Sung, C.H. (2009). Comparing Student Performance: Online Versus Blended Versus Face-to-Face. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(1), Tucker, S.Y. (2000). Assessing the Effectiveness of Distance Education versus Traditional On- Campus Education. ERIC ED Yukselturk, E., and Yildirim, Z. (2008). Investigation of interaction, course structure and flexibility as the contributing factors to students satisfaction in an online certificate program. Educational Technology and Society, 11(4),