Divided by a common degree program? Profiling online and face-to-face information science students

Abstract

This study examines profiles of online and face-to-face students in a single information science school: the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies. A questionnaire was administered to 76 students enrolled in online course sections and 72 students enrolled in face-to-face course sections. The questionnaire examined student capabilities in four areas associated with success in distance education. These are: basic communication skills and access to the Internet, motivational styles, preferences for individual vs. group work, time management issues, and attitudes toward online education. Online students were more comfortable than face-to-face students communicating electronically, had better access to the Internet, and reported better typing skills. Face-to-face students reported themselves to be more reliant on class participation to stimulate their interest in a class, and were more favorably disposed to group exercises. Online students were very much more likely than face-to-face students within the same institution and degree program to believe that online education was of comparable quality to face-to-face education.