Assessment of Students' Ratings for Two Methodologies of Teaching via Distance Learning: An Evaluative Approach Based on Accreditation

Two of the most popular delivery formats in distance education are video conferencing and online methodologies. The first step in the processes of recognition and reorganization needed for both forms of distance education is to identify the differences between the traditional classroom environment and the classroom that is augmented or replaced by one of these formats. Student comparisons of the two major distance education formats and traditional classroom characteristics were gathered through summative evaluations examining four major topics: (1) organization of class; (2) student/instructor interaction; (3) concept acquisition; and (4) use of variety of media. Student demographic data were also collected to investigate any correlation between these factors and preference. Results for 142 video conferencing and 62 online students show that students rating the 4 major variables called distance education either "the same as" or "better than" their experiences in a traditional course. Two factors that appeared to be of the utmost importance to students, and that should be examined carefully by instructors, departments, and distance education organizations, are the technological needs of students taking the course and the need for an emphasis on near perfection in the performance of equipment in video conferencing. Additional training for instructors who will use either of these formats may improve the adaptation of materials into a proper format for delivery. A follow-up study is planned to study differences in student ratings of the distance education class prior to implementation of teacher training and to compare these ratings to those obtained after teacher training. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/SLD)