Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
(e.g., library, bookstore, advising) in both environments. Pedagogical considerations involve
issues relating to management of course quality and control over the learning environment.
THE STUDY
To obtain data related to perceptions of online courses by potential students, a survey
instrument was distributed to over 300 students enrolled in high school business courses.
These students were assumed to be more likely to be online customers for college-level
courses than students who were already near completion of a college degree. These students
could represent a large potential target market in the future.
Demographics
Demographic data were collected so that responses could be compared in several ways.
The majority of the study focused on students' awareness of online offerings and their
current perceptions. A total of 381 students participated in this study. A large majority were
upperclassmen, i.e., high school juniors and seniors, as shown in Table 1.
A majority of the participants were female, as shown in Table 2.
A high percentage of students (88.97%) indicated that they have access to a computer
at home, which could have a direct effect on ability to participate in online courses. A lack
of access to a computer could have affected their perceptions. A comparison of accessibility
by gender showed that the difference between genders was slight, as shown in Table 3.
Table 1. Grade classifications of participants (
n
= 373)
Classification
Percentage of Respondents
Freshman
4.56
Sophomore
24.40
Junior
33.51
Senior
37.53
Table 2. Gender of participants (
n
= 376)
Gender
Percentage of Respondents
Male
41.22
Female
58.78
Table 3. Access to a computer at home by gender (
n
= 380)
Gender
Percentage with Access
Male
89.03
Female
88.50
