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Title:
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A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ONLINE AND TRADITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS LAW CLASSES: 2004-2007 |
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Author(s):
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Daniel J. Shelley , Louis B. Swartz , Michele T. Cole |
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ISBN:
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ISSN: 1645-7641 |
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Editors:
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Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2007 |
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Edition:
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V V, 1 |
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Keywords:
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Online learning, eCollege Platform, Traditional/Onland Classroom, Websurveyor |
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Type:
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Journal Paper |
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First Page:
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60 |
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Last Page:
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79 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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The trend in academia to online learning has gained momentum in the past decade, due in part to the cost
of higher education, a changing student profile, lack of traditional classroom space, and the recognition
that distance learning has created a genuinely new paradigm of instruction. Universities wishing to
maintain or expand enrollments need to be able to respond effectively to the educational needs of
working adults, students in the military and residents of rural communities as well as of other countries.
Online (internet-based) course offerings constitute a creative and increasingly popular response to these
challenges. As more and more institutions of higher learning offer online courses, the question arises
whether they are, or can be, as effective as courses offered in the traditional classroom format.
Answering the question has been the focus of several studies. Our two studies, the first in 2006 and the
second in 2007, compared students enrolled in both online and traditional onland classroom versions of
the same business law course, BLAW 1050, where all elements were the same except for the instruction
format. The first study found no significant difference between the two formats with regard to student
satisfaction and student learning. These findings support earlier comparisons of online and traditional
instruction modes. The second study did find statistically significant differences in two elements of
student satisfaction, student satisfaction with the instructor and student satisfaction with the course
structure between the students in the online course and those in the traditional setting. In both instances,
the onland students were more satisfied than their online counterparts. |
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