Using Online Technologies to Extend a Classroom to Learners at a Distance

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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16

Time Management; Conventional Instruction; Education Courses; Graduate Study; Seminars; Teacher Student Relationship; Time Factors (Learning); Costs; Educational Innovation; Foreign Countries; Distance Education; Electronic Learning; Online Courses; Computer Mediated Communication; Student Attitudes; Student Surveys; Comparative Analysis; Instructional Effectiveness; College Faculty; Faculty Workload; Access to Education; Outreach Programs; Open Universities; Nontraditional Education; Web Based Instruction; Questionnaires; Web Sites; Computer Software; Electronic Publishing; Instructional Design; Course Descriptions

Canada; Greece; Iceland; Italy; South Africa; Spain; United Kingdom; Utah

10.1080/01587911003725030

0158-7919

The authors studied a course in which an instructor allowed individuals at a distance to participate. Although these students were not formally enrolled in the university where the class took place, the instructor gave them full access to all course materials and encouraged them to complete course assignments. The authors examined the time and technical proficiency required to involve learners at a distance. We surveyed these learners to determine their perceptions of the course and examined their work. Learners at a distance reported receiving some benefit from the course, particularly in terms of learner-content interaction. We surveyed students in the face-to-face classroom to determine whether having students participating at a distance in the same class affected their perception of the course. They reported no impact. The implications and limitations of these results are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)

As Provided

26

2010

EJ880788