Date of Graduation

8-2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education in Educational Leadership (MEd)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Advisor/Mentor

Cheryl A. Murphy

Committee Member

William F. Brescia

Second Committee Member

Christopher J. Lucas

Abstract

Reported enrollments of students taking online courses in institutes of higher learning in the 2000-01 academic years were estimated at 3.077 million, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Dramatic enrollment increases have led to a need for research that involves both the comparison of learning achievement based on delivery mediums, and student attitudes concerning alternative delivery methods. This study compared the learning achievement of students when the deliveries of course lectures were presented both in-class and online, as well as measured attitudes of students concerning delivery mediums. Both types of lectures were presented using the same teaching methods except for the type of delivery medium. Findings support previous literature findings that the delivery medium has no bearing on learning achievement provided that the course information is presented in identical formats. Students’ learning achievement showed no significant differences between each presentation mode. Findings from student perceptions also indicated that students’ attitudes towards both presentation formats are equal regarding preference for the type of delivery method, being able to access each type of lecture, presence of the instructor, overall satisfaction with each delivery method, and future indication that they would potentially take each type of class. However, there were significant differences in students preferring control when scheduling courses according to their own timelines, and becoming more distracted with the online lectures. This study concluded that future research should focus not on the delivery medium as a single entity but view it as a system, which encompasses a multitude of factors including hardware, software, and people and how they interact with the newer mediums.

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