Understanding online learning through a qualitative description of professors and students' experiences.

Many things are not understood about distance education despite its popularity and growth in institutions of higher education (IHEs). That is why it is important to recognize faculty and students' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences to help faculty design and prepare an online course, to provide educators with information about recruitment, to assist students so they can achieve meaningful and positive learning, and possibly, to establish a successful distance education program at RSU. The purpose of this study is to find out the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of professors and graduate students about teaching and learning in a distance learning environment using a web-based course delivery. Both professors and students are from the College of Education in a Southwest border institution. This research provides a qualitative description of faculty and students' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences, so awareness and understanding can be achieved to meet a new vision in teaching through distance learning.

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Many things are not understood about distance education despite its popularity and growth in institutions of higher education (IHEs). Because of this limited understanding, it is important to recognize faculty and students' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences about distance education to assist faculty in developing existing courses and to help them facilitate their classes effectively. As part if this research, professors and students from New Mexico State University were interviewed so they could provide a qualitative description of their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes about teaching and learning in a distance learning environment using a web-based course delivery platform.

GROWTH OF DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS

Research studies from Jacob (2001), Verneil and Berge (2000), Banas and Emory (1998), and Kang (2001) indicated that a technologically-driven and global economy in the 21 (st) century contributed to the emergence of online education and the growth of electronic communication, particularly the use of the Internet, in institutions of higher education (IHEs). Some of these institutions that have existing online programs include University of Phoenix Online, Davenport University, Capella University, Walden University, and Baker College Online. These online programs, which are also referred to as "asynchronous studies," "distributed learning," "online instruction," "web-based course instruction," or "e-learning" are now being offered extensively to the academic community.

These institutions recognize the potential for providing education to adult students. By being aware that the adult population is growing and that Internet-based technology is constantly improving, IHEs are forced to make changes with the way learners and teachers are connected (Hanna et al., 2000). With these changes towards a commitment to providing quality of education, these online institutions will continue to gain wide acceptance in the academic community. The institutions previously mentioned are successful in their online programs because they help extend the traditional universities' reach in the academic community and they serve as a response to problems with expansion and physical space (Hall, 1995).

In terms of students' attitude and perception about online education, studies have shown that students in IHEs, particularly graduate students, want convenience and flexibility in completing their academic goals. This entails being able to go to school while meeting the needs of work and family schedule. (Jaffee, n.d.; Kearsley, 1998; Schrum, 2000). The convenience and flexibility of online education, according to these students, are particularly beneficial to those who live in faraway locations (Adler, 2001). Access to the Internet has provided more working professionals an avenue to advance their careers and a tool to solve their daily problems (Guiton, 1999; Jaffee, n.d.). With distance education, learning can take place anytime and anywhere; and resources are no longer confined in school libraries but are accessible through the Internet (Spindler as cited in Gonzales & DeMontes, 2001). With the aid of technology, online universities will be expected to provide course offerings that will allow these students to complete their degree programs virtually. Therefore, to meet these demands, IHEs must continually assess their approaches to teaching, curriculum development, and student retention methods to remain on a competitive edge with other institutions.

WHAT DO STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THEIR ONLINE DEGREES?

Because students today are "more demanding, selective, and vocal about their educational choices" (Olcott, 1997a, p. 268), the question of added-value needs to be asked: What can students gain from their online experience? According to Schoech (2000), students can receive quality instruction and education from this environment when faculty are properly trained to facilitate courses online. Many online universities do incorporate faculty training in their online degree programs. For instance University of Phoenix, Davenport University, Capella University, Walden University, and Baker College Online require mandatory faculty training from two to five weeks conducted through a web-based delivery platform. Faculty candidates undergo training in the areas of technology (navigation of the platform), pedagogy, policies and procedures of the university, and best practices for facilitating courses online.

RESTRUCTURING OF THINKING, LEARNING, AND TEACHING

Despite these technological advances when it comes to delivering instruction, many faculty and students continue to have varying perceptions and misconceptions about distance education through a web-based course delivery. Studies reveal that some administrators in colleges and universities do not have a clear plan as to the proper direction for distance programs in IHEs (Bothel, 2001; Miller & Padgett, 1998). In fact, some programs do not have clear goals or objectives for meeting the needs of online students and faculty (Bothel). McAlister, Rivera, and Hallam (2001) said web-based programs are excellent tools for increasing an institution's reach; however, standards of teaching excellence must not be sacrificed as a reaction to the popularity and growth of distance education.

A distance education program cannot be implemented just because there are demands for this type of course delivery, growth in student population, and competition with other colleges and universities. Studies reveal that some faculty are ill-prepared to make the shift from traditional face-to-face classroom setting to the online academic forum due to a general lack of understanding of what it entails to teach courses online (Care & Scanlan, 2001; Lichtenberg, 2001; Palloff & Pratt, 2001). In fact, most faculty have little or no formal training on effective use of technological resources even if technical support is available (Barley, 1999; Parker, 1997). Therefore, faculty who are still struggling with simple e-mail operations should be required to take more trainings to be able to make a transition from face-to-face instruction to online teaching without sacrificing quality of education (Carnevale, 2000). Based on these studies, it is evident that training and a shift in teaching practices are key themes in literature for online instructors (Care & Scanlan, 2001; Cross, 1981; Norton & Wiburg, 1998; Palloff & Pratt, 2001). As colleges expand their online programs, these institutions need to seek faculty who are able to deliver courses online with the same integrity and effectiveness given to traditional face-to-face courses (Carnevale, 2000).

PURPOSE

To gain an understanding about online education or distance education delivery, six professors and seven graduate students from the College of Education at New Mexico University were interviewed for an hour. These professors have taught one or more courses online, and the students have taken one or more courses online. All participants used the WebCT web course delivery platform in the classroom. The interview questions focused on the participants' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences about online education. These qualitative descriptions can provide an understanding as to why some are receptive to online learning while others still prefer face-to-face classroom environments (Anakwe, Kessler, & Christensen, 1999).

This research study focused on two areas: (a) teaching, preparation, and learning experience for the professors who have taught or are teaching online courses through a web-based course delivery platform, and (b) learning experiences, outcomes, opinions, and dis/satisfaction from the graduate students who have taken classes online.

LEARNING THEORIES

Methodology

The research question that drove this study was: "What are the perceptions of professors and graduate students about teaching and learning in a distance learning environment using a web-based course instructional platform?" A structured interview format was used to develop one grand question to all professors and students. This was followed by questions to cover topics that may not have been disclosed initially by the participants. For the "grand tour" question, professors were asked: Please discuss your personal story about teaching online and what you learned from the experience? For the students, the "grand tour" question was: Please discuss your personal story about taking an online class through web-based course delivery and what you learned from the experience? Some of the follow-up questions that professors were asked were the following: (a) Would you please elaborate on the differences you perceive between online teaching and face-to-face teaching? (b) Can you describe the support you received or would like to have received before and during your online teaching experiences? (c) What do you think are important variables/attributes to consider to become a successful online facilitator/instructor and why? Some of the follow-up questions that students were asked included: (a) Please identify the challenges that you encountered before and during the process of taking an online course? (b) In your opinion, are classes delivered online as effective and rigorous as face-to-face classes? If not, what changes do you think would be needed to make them effective? (c) What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a full-degree distance learning program at this institution?

When the interviews concluded, the tape-recorded data from the participants were transcribed. When the transcriptions were gathered, emerging themes were analyzed based on the information that came out of this study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the information that was gathered, three of the six professors who were interviewed indicated a positive assessment about teaching online. Some of the interview findings include the following: (a) Professors recognized the importance of providing timely feedback to students in spite of the amount of work that is required when writing these feedback; and, (b) Three of the six professors indicated a continued commitment to teach online courses through web-based delivery. After their first teaching experience, they said they were willing to teach courses through this method. It could be said that these professors' receptivity to online teaching has to do with their background and proficiency in using technology in the classrooms. These professors' expertise and interest in online teaching made a difference in their desire to pursue this type of teaching method.

The following quotes illustrate the three professors' perceptions and attitude toward online teaching:

     I'd learned to like the online environment now. What I like about
     it is I can go anytime day or night and interact with my students.
     And that sort of feeling of always being able to kind of interact.
     And to go on and see what people are talking about in the chat
     room. And so I have more value put into it now. Although I miss the
     in-person classes and I only like to do like one online class.

     I think it's [online learning] the future. I think we're going to
     enter a society where we want any time learning and because people
     continue to learn new things. They can't sit around in college for
     20 years. I think it's really necessary to develop this. And I wish
     we had more staff and more support staff here and more faculty ...
     there's not that much expertise even at Research State, and we have
     more than anywhere and that's really scary. In New Mexico State, we
     have the most expertise in educational technology. For me it's like
     compared to somewhere like Indiana or different places I know
     about, we're doing so little....

On the other hand, three of the first-time online professors were not very receptive to teaching another web-based course after they completed their first online course. It is possible that the professors' first-time teaching experiences influenced their receptivity towards online teaching: If the initial experience was a negative one, then they are more likely to view online teaching as negative. The professors' lack of adequate technical support before and during their online course instruction could have contributed to their reluctance to teach future courses online. In addition, these professors did not realize the longer time commitment required to prepare for facilitating online courses and to interact with students in a virtual classroom.

The findings of the interviews revealed that these professors viewed online teaching as time consuming. This can be due to the fact that they are teaching face-to-face courses at the same time. If they were given a course release for their first online teaching assignment, then maybe the frustration level for these professors would not have been so high. Because these professors prefer to teach face-to-face classes than online, their motivation for teaching another online course was low. The comments these professors made include the following:

   I think I was vaguely interested in online teaching although my
   preferred method of interacting with students is in a classroom face-
   to-face. I took one or two of the introductory courses on WebCT ... I
   did not develop in that time great facility with the components of
   WebCT.

   Probably not. I only would accept it if given the appropriate release
   time during the semester. Because when you teach an online course,
   you're not on just on that one night of class. You're on 24/7.
   There's always stuff that students are asking me, stuff that you
   always have to be talking to students. You meet on Saturday or Sunday
   sometimes to get people together. It's ridiculously time consuming,
   ridiculously so.

   No, no. (Laugh). The reason I don't want to do it again is the hours
   in front of the computer is 10% as gratifying to me as the same hours
   face-to-face with ... I just don't enjoy sitting in front of the
   computer and reading people's responses and responding to them and so
   on.... But I didn't care for it. I found myself dreading sitting down
   in front of the computer and doing all those interactive stuff,
   whereas I don't dread going to the class to work with students. Not
   my cup of tea. But for someone else that likes that type of a format,
   it'd be great.

Personal Observations

The interviews conducted with the professors reveal that a professor's personal preference to teaching face-to-face could be a factor in his or her decision to teach or to not teach another online class. In addition, an instructor's level of expertise or technological background can positively influence his/her desire to teach online courses in the future. As indicated above, the first three professors are already teaching various courses about technology; this contributed to their willingness to teach future courses online. On the other hand, the three who taught online for the first time did not have a background in technology. They accepted the teaching assignment to gain online experience, which helped confirmed their personal biases against online teaching. The experience also served to validate their preference towards teaching a face-to-face class as compared to online.

In-Depth Interviews with Students

Findings from the interviews indicate a huge contrast regarding students' perceptions and attitude about taking online classes. For instance, Student A readily admitted that she was not serious about her online course at the beginning part of her class. She even thought of her online class (which meets face-to-face every other week) as a time to do her other errands instead of working on her class homework. This indicates that some students do not perceive online classes as equal to face-to-face classes. This is one student's comment about her online class:

    Definitely something you had to get used to and I would--in that
    respect--I think that you need to be a little more prepared for the
    concept of the whole online thing. A little bit more practice in the
    beginning of the chatting. It was kind of weird being thrown right
    into that and not having been prepared.

    Well, like I said it was challenge because I am the type of person
    who likes face-to-face contact, and so you know you get on and do
    these chats and that's pretty fun and you are used to chatting with
    people right there and body language and face-to-face expression.
    And [then] not to have that and not to know who[m] you are talking
    to or talking with especially when you are dealing with a group
    that's not familiar with. If can be a little disconcerting, but it
    also had its challenges and interests and also some interesting
    things so it was a little challenging for me because as I said it
    was something I was not used to and I kind of balked for a little
    while. It's like these chat things and kind of weird and not all you
    know, and seeing my professors only twice through the whole
    thing ...

Another student, on the other hand, recognized the benefits of taking online classes. This student views online and face-to-face classes as having similar expectations and standards. He is aware of students who do not see online classes this way. He stated that teachers should push their students to do well just as they would in a face-to-face class. He said the following in the interview:

     That kind of started to change my opinion ... guess you might say
     ... I saw a lot of benefits in online classes, in that course,
     because it was done right. It was done in a way that I understood
     pedagogically and understood that there was a way that got me
     involved yet, I still feel like an online course is really good for
     really motivated students. It's important to be really motivated.
     Kinda like another barrier when you're really not into it. Like
     "it's not really like class, it's just online ... I can skip it.

Personal Observations

The student observations provide crucial information for online instructors. By being aware of students' perceptions, instructors can modify the way they teach online to make the course interesting, motivating, and as rigorous as face-to-face classes. One way to encourage students to be successful online is to encourage open communication in the classroom. Faculty should be able to listen and to understand the students, and "not just to talk to them as 'expert[s]'" (Volery, 2001, p. 90). Because of the absence of face-to-face communication, instructors need to be more visible to the students in the virtual classroom. This entails answering questions within a 24-hour period upon receipt of students' e-mail because students may feel ignored when instructors do not acknowledged their note.

EMERGING THEMES

Several themes emerged from the qualitative data gathered in the study. The following themes were generated from both professors and students.

Development of a learning community. One common theme that was derived from the interviews was the development of learning communities in the classroom. Online learning provides opportunities for students to form groups where they can support each other in the classroom. There is also a sense of inclusion within the community of learners, especially when the instructor recognizes the importance of bringing students together through their work. According to one professor:

    ... one of the things that happens is that a learning community does
    form in a cohort group, and I think I would discourage anybody from
    doing an online program that was just hit or miss. I think you have
    to build that learning community and have the support of a cohort to
    do an advanced degree online. I'd encourage all my doc students for
    years to form a cohort group one way or another because you need to
    be supporting each other. You need to bounce your ideas off each
    other. It's not good to learn in isolation.

The findings are congruent with studies conducted by Wells and Chang-Wells (1992), Koschmann (1994), and Tharp and Gallimore (1988). They indicated that the World Wide Web provides a learning experience and a place to build upon knowledge within a learning community. Online learning is a rich environment where learner-centered instructional techniques show opportunities for significant developments (Bonk & Reynolds, 1997).

Technological challenges with WebCT. With any new developments, problems and difficulties do occur. Although some professors and students had a good experience with their online classes, they still encountered computer glitches and technical problems in terms of connecting online and submitting assignments. One student provided this statement about his experience:

    I didn't have any challenges computer-wise but one of my biggest
    problems was when I was at my house, I have the dial-up network,
    which was pathetic but that was the only problem trying to load that
    assignment and ... crash or you'd be typing a response and all of a
    sudden it would kick you out and when you got back in of course
    you've lost everything what you've written. And sometimes that was
    kind of frustrating. That was probably the system of WebCT. I think
    it needs to be updated and use something like University of Phoenix,
    or one of those ... something more powerful, maybe more reliable
    than the server for WebCT.

Having the right technology and equipment. In terms of conditions that facilitate effective teaching and learning, some professors and students indicate that using the right technology in online classes is important to use web-based classes.

    I've learned over the years that students need to have the right
    technology to begin with because if you don't have the right ... you
    know enough memory on your computer, and the right version of
    Netscape or Explorer, [then] you can't get into the chat room and
    all those kinds of technical things. You don't know right away first
    time you're doing it.

Quality of rigor depends on instructor's knowledge. One student said that those who intend to take online classes must take into consideration who the instructor for that course will be. She said that the quality of online learning is important when choosing a class. If an instructor is familiar with using online, then she will likely take the class. For her, convenience was important but the quality of her learning was just as important. Her personal view on this issue is:

    If I had a choice between taking a class online and face-to-face, I
    would prefer the online. But if I found out that the professor
    didn't understand how to use the online learning environment or the
    other way, if they're really into the online learning environment,
    if they are then I would choose to take it online, if not, I would
    choose face-to-face.

    So there is a relationship for me, as if I had a choice. But once
    again I have to stop and think about "does this person whose leading
    the class really understand how to use the online learning
    environment but if I feel I will get more of it face-to-face then
    I will do face-to-face. It's a matter of convenience but also
    quality of learning experience.

Online is time consuming. Kearsley and Lynch (1996) described the structure of the distance education course to be much less clear because of the newness of this form of teaching and learning and the varied approaches to teaching courses online. They say that the need for structure is important in a course's design. Another study on distance education conducted by Carr (2000), based on a survey of college faculty members who belong to the nation's largest teachers' union, reported that many faculty are worried about the amount of preparation time needed to teach an online course, while being compensated with the same amount of pay. One professor responded to this concern:

     ... So I think that you have to be organized. I think you have to
     be committed to this because it is more time consuming in a
     different way.... I think you have to be responsible and reliably
     there to write to your students on a regular basis; otherwise, it
     doesn't work.... And you can't teach an online class and not
     communicate with your students. I mean, it doesn't work. It'd be
     like not showing up for your classes.

The three professors who were interviewed attest to the importance of face-to-face contact in the classroom. One professor said that a face-to-face setting is an integral part of a course--and can add to the dynamics of the classroom interaction much more than what an online class can offer. While another student likes the face-to-face interaction at the beginning of the semester. What she particularly likes about her online classes is when students and faculty meet face-to-face for the first time. She likes the idea of meeting the people in her class in-person and then getting hold of the syllabus for each class. Below is an account of the professor and student's comments:

    They have to be in a face-to-face half of the courses. Maybe you
    could do, if you are teaching on water systems, they could be
    online. But if there's anything that has to deal with teaching, it
    has to be face-to-face ... a big portion of it. You cannot have it
    all online. It undermines what teaching and learning are all about.
    You can't do it online. You have to have face-to-face.

    What I've experienced is ... we met each other as a group first, and
    this has happened in all the online. I haven't had just strictly
    online without knowing the class members. And the format that I've
    enjoyed is, you go to class initially, you get to know each other,
    you know the syllabus of the class, you know the professors'
    expectations.

These emerging themes provide significant information for faculty to consider when teaching online classes. Opportunities for a better learning experience can be made available to students if faculty can address these concerns, frustrations, and ideas in a constructive manner. As the emerging themes indicate, professors and students see value in online education. Therefore, continuous methods of improvement should be implemented to encourage and attract more online students and instructors in this environment.

RECOMMENDATION

This research study about attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of professors and graduate students about distance learning through a web-based course delivery platform can be used as a training tool for administrators and faculty. The results of the study can assist administrators and faculty implement a successful distance learning program, aid in student recruitment, and identify the types of students who are more likely to be successful in a web-based course delivery platform. A review of related literature on distance education indicates a need for a more structured guideline for training and recruiting prospective online faculty. Although delivery of education through web-based course delivery is gaining wide support in institutions of higher learning (IHEs), caution needs to be undertaken when implementing such a program. Students who may not have a good experience with their online class may easily give up on this type of learning. They may opt instead for a face-to-face class when the experience could have been attributed to poor teaching methods rather than the web-based platform itself.

Although this study was limited to six professors and seven graduate students in the College of Education at New Mexico State University, the qualitative interviews can be expanded to a larger community of online educators and learners to determine a more accurate assessment of these experiences, perceptions, and attitudes about teaching and taking courses online through a web-based delivery platform. This research study also suggests that feedback from both faculty and students must be addressed and examined to understand the changes and trainings that are crucial for an effective distance education program.

CONCLUSION

The developments in technological advances have changed the process of teaching and learning in the online environment (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998). Learning in an online environment through the use of web-based course platforms can be a rewarding and rich experience for learners and teachers, especially if the tool to conduct a class is delivered effectively. It is also important for students to be aware of the time commitment needed to "attend" classes online through a web-based delivery platform such as WebCT, Blackboard, and Outlook Express newsgroups. Having the tools to provide this information to the students does not necessarily ensure that they will apply these resources for their own understanding (Lana & Greene, 2000). Therefore, it is important for faculty who teach online courses to know how to reach and motivate students in this environment. Facilitating online takes a different approach than face-to-face teaching; thus, new methods need to be introduced to the instructors to make the experience meaningful to the students (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1988).

As indicated in this research study, virtual classrooms present enormous potential for faculty and students to exchange ideas without the constraint of a physical classroom. By providing faculty with training and standards for delivering courses online, IHEs can assure students and community that distance education is an equal or better alternative to securing a degree. Knowledge of the online process, understanding the potential of using a web-based course instructional platform for teaching, and being aware of the responsibilities involved in teaching online courses can help facilitate a meaningful and positive experience for learners.

The convenience of going to school any time and anywhere entails greater responsibility from educators to deliver quality instruction that is at par or even greater than traditional classroom practices. It will be a challenge to have this new vision accepted by everyone in institutions of higher education, but in order to be successful in the field of distance education, IHEs must take the risk and explore this new field of teaching with a positive frame of mind.

In summary, the issue when it comes to teaching online is not whether this environment is better or lesser in quality compared to face-to-face teaching. Instead, instructors must focus on their approach to teaching, and how they could capitalize on the different technological components to make learning meaningful for students. Institutions of higher education must understand what changes and improvements need to be made by listening to what professors and students say about their online experiences. A re-examination and restructuring of varying teaching approaches can be applied to deliver an effective online environment (Gold, 2001). By focusing on feed-back, education, and training, IHEs can continue to offer successful distance learning programs so they can serve the needs of online learners and faculty.

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TERESA LAO AND CARMEN GONZALES

New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM USA

[e-mail]

[e-mail]