Online or On Campus?

Abstract

This paper discusses online, blended, and face-to-face learning at the graduate level. Distance education is becoming used more often by institutions of higher education throughout the United States. Two graduate courses are compared in the present study. One course was offered as a blended course over a three-week summer period and the other course was offered online over a 14-week semester long period. These two courses were taught by the same instructor and had the same student course assistants. The research is based on the information gathered by the course assistants comparing survey results of students enrolled in the courses. The course assistants found that most of feedback provided by the students concerning distance education was positive. The included charts depict information gleaned from surveys taken by students in the courses. The authors also have included student quotes based on these courses. This paper expands on ways research may be done to develop how distance education courses are taught.