Cyberstress: Asynchronous Anxiety or Worried in Cyberspace - I Wonder if my Teacher Got My Email
   Mary Lour Crouch and Virginia Montecino

Students' Frustrations with a Web-Based Distance Education Course
   Noriko Hara and Rob Kling

Students' Frustrations with a Web-Based Distance Education Course  alternate site

   Many advocates of computer-mediated distance education emphasize its positive aspects and understate the kind of work that it requires for students and faculty. This article presents a qualitative case study of a Web-based distance education course at a major U.S. university. The case data reveal a taboo topic: students' persistent frustrations in Web-based distance education.

Students’ Distress with a Web-based Distance Education Course
   Noriko Hara and Rob Kling

   Many advocates of computer-mediated distance education emphasize its positive aspects and understate the kind of communicative and technical capabilities and work required by students and faculty. This article presents a qualitative case study of a web-based distance education course at a major U.S. university. The case data reveal a topic that is glossed over in much of the distance education literature written for administrators, instructors and prospective students: students' persistent distressing experiences (such as frustration, anxiety and confusion) due to communication breakdowns and technical difficulties. Our intent is that this study will enhance understanding of the instructional design issues, instructor and student preparation, and communication practices that are needed to improve web-based distance education courses.
 

A Web-Based Study of Students' Attitudes Towards the Web
   Thao Lê and Quynh Lê

   While experts in educational multimedia generally welcome the Web in education, it is important to take into account the views of learners about the role of the Web in teaching and learning, as they are the primary participants in the Web-based educational experience. This paper discusses a Web-based study on learners' views of the Web. The discussion starts with an examination of the emergence of the Web in education and some key features, which represent a shift to a new educational paradigm.

Using Student Feedback to Improve Distance Education
   Eleanor L. Minich

Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) enrolls more than 6,000 students annually in college-credit telecourses and on- line courses. As part of its on-going evaluation of distance education, FCCJ solicits student feedback through the use of two student surveys. At the midpoint of each term, all students who have withdrawn from a distance education course are surveyed to determine why they withdrew and what, if anything, the college could have done to have better supported the student and thus prevented this withdrawal. At the end of each term, all distance education students are surveyed to evaluate the faculty support, administrative and student services provided during the term.

Effectiveness Of Distance Learning Courses--Students' Perceptions
   Michael K. Swan

Instruction on the Web: The Online Student's Perspective
   Edna Holland Mory, Lewis E. Gambill, J. Burton Browning

   The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of two university graduate students while taking an on-line course over the Web, in order to identify issues of design, implementation, and motivation from a users' perspective.

Student Attitudes Toward Distance Learning

   One of the important issues in distance education is understanding how students react to learning in a class where members are separated by time and space. Attitude toward learning is an important factor in eventual academic success. Research data on student attitudes toward distance learning can be grouped into four categories: attitude toward the technology, attitude toward distance education teaching methods, attitude toward student and teacher
interaction, and attitude toward being a remote student.

Paper-based And Web-based Resources: What Do Students Value?
   Judy Sheard, Margot Postema, and Selby Markham

   This is a report of an innovative study into how students value printed and electronic subject resources in the context of the growing use of the Web. The apparent lack of research into student valuation and use of resources has prompted this investigation.

The study involved surveying students (n=329) and lecturers in seven computing subjects within the Faculty of Information Technology of Monash University. The subjects chosen for the study provided students with various combinations of subject resources in paper format and on the Web. Ten different types of resources were considered. Eight resources were available in both paper and Web format and two were available only on the Web. Each subject had a dedicated subject Web page.

The results from the surveys indicated that students were enthusiastic about the Web resources provided however the interesting outcome from the research is that students within the Faculty of Information Technology still appear to be paper dependant.

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE BUILDING COMMUNITIES:
CONSISTENCY, CONTACT & COMMUNICATION IN THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
   Karen Swan, Peter Shea, Eric Fredericksen, Alexandra Pickett, William Pelz, Greg Maher

   This paper looks at factors affecting the success of asynchronous online learning both through a review of the research literature and through an empirical investigation of student perceptions and course design factors in one of the largest asynchronous learning networks in the country. It finds that three such factors -- consistency in course design, contact with course instructors, and active discussion – have been consistently shown to significantly influence the success of online courses. It is posited that the reason for these findings relates to the importance of building knowledge building communities in asynchronous online learning environments.

Review of the Factors Influencing the Satisfaction of Learning in Online Courses at Marshall University
   Jan Isobel Fox

   The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence online course satisfaction. Additionally, the study investigates differences in demographics between traditional student populations and those students attracted to online courses. Research questions were defined for investigating relationship between student satisfaction in the online course with the of the amount of learner interaction and feedback, the reason students enrolled in the course, faculty expertise in online technologies, the course pace, the combination of instructional strategies used in the course, and the students prior experience with the online course product. Additionally, course retention data was calculated as a secondary satisfaction indicator. To achieve this purpose, the Flashlight Current Student Inventory and Flashlight Gap Analysis surveys were utilized in the study. Standard research methodology was used to collect, analyze, and report on the data. The research population for this study was 1129 Marshall University students enrolled in 50 online courses during the fall 1999 term. The responses indicate that students enrolled in online courses are more likely to be older than traditional students, and have a higher percentage of females. Overall, student satisfaction with online courses was medium to high. The data implies the student satisfaction is influenced by the amount and type of learner interaction and feedback, the reason why a student takes a course, faculty technical expertise, the pace of the course, and the type of instructional strategies employed in the course. The data did not support the notion that a student's expertise in the online course delivery product called WebCT influenced student satisfaction. The retention rates for online courses exceeded the traditional course rate.
 

Educational Technology