Online Versus On-Campus Strategic Management Course: A Case Study
Findings
Research questions were addressed based on the data gathered from the two class sections as follows.
Analysis of Student Grade Point Averages
In order to have a better understanding of any differences in student success in either the online or the on-campus section of the course, the researchers felt it important to examine how similar the students were in terms of prior performance in their university studies. To this end, the cumulative grade point average (GPA) of each of the participants was gathered through the semester just prior to enrolling in the courses under study. The on-campus section had an average GPA of 2.90 as compared to the online section average GPA of 2.75 based on a 4.0 scale. No significant difference was indicated by use of an independent t-test. The scholastic capabilities of the sections in the study were, therefore, approximately equal.
Determination of Significance in Age
Since it is sometimes thought that online students are more non-traditional in age, the researchers gathered the age of each student to determine whether there was a relationship between ages and course selection (online or on-campus). For this study, there was a difference when the ages and course section choice were compared. It was found that the on-campus section consisted of students all less than 25 years of age, while the online course had a wider distribution of ages. Table 1 shows the age distribution between the online and on-campus groups.
Table 1: Age Distribution for Online and On-Campus Students
|
Online |
|
On-Campus |
||
Under 25 years old |
12 |
63% |
|
24 |
100% |
25 to 34 years old |
4 |
21% |
|
||
35 years old and over |
3 |
16% |
|
||
Student Success
For purposes of this study, student success was compared using four criteria: test grades (40% of final grade), case studies (30% of final grade), simulation (30% of final grade), and the final course averages. As shown in Table 2, test grade average for the online section was 76.2% as compared to the on-campus average of 75.8%. The case study grades showed more difference with the online students averaging 92.6% and on-campus students averaging 89.0%. In the simulation, the averages were 85.6% for the online students compared to 87.5% for the on-campus students. The final course averages were extremely close with the online students' final average being 83.6% as compared to the on-campus counterpart average of 83.3%.
Table 2: Grade Distribution for Online and On-Campus Students
|
Tests: 40% |
Cases: 30% |
Simulation: 30% |
Final Averages |
On-Campus |
75.8% |
89.0% |
87.5% |
83.3% |
Online |
76.2% |
92.6% |
85.6% |
83.6% |
Student Satisfaction with Online Course
All students were given the opportunity to complete an end-of-course evaluation through the regular university channels. In addition, however, the online section was administered a satisfaction survey that more specifically dealt with their perceptions of the online course and the students' satisfaction with the course. Questions covered subjects such as satisfaction with course content delivery methods, use of discussion boards, communication, and participation as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Online Student Satisfaction Survey
Figure 1 graphically displays the distribution of responses from the online students. As indicated, the majority of students (81.25% or greater) responded positively in terms of satisfaction with each area of the online course. In addition, students were given the opportunity to provide reflections and make comments on these same aspects of the course. The most notable comments came in the areas of discussion board usage, working in teams, and instructor feedback.
Comments on the use of discussion boards included, "I thought this was a great way to get class participation. It provided insight into how other classmates viewed the cases and the chapter."; "I enjoyed the discussion board. A lot of creative thinking out there."; "The discussion boards helped me to better respond to as well as understand the case studies. It gave me other ideas to write about that I may not have otherwise thought of if I hadn't read the discussion board."; "I think the case discussions were helpful. You could see how other students were interpreting the material."; and "The discussion board requires students to participate in it unlike in classrooms where a majority of the students don't."
Findings regarding student observations on teamwork were interesting with comments such as "Being able to chat online with others in the group while having the reports open was very helpful. Each of us could look at different areas and bring different perspectives to the discussion. This would not have been possible if we were all trying to look at the same computer screen together."; "At times it was difficult to work with my team members – mainly because we did not all live in the same city. Therefore, we could not meet in person to discuss issues. Instead we had to communicate through e-mail and chat room. Some team members did not cooperate at times, which made communicating difficult. Groups in general are not easy to work in but I think things might have been a little better if we had all lived in the same city and could have met regularly."; "The option of having the chatrooms in WebCT made it easier to work on the simulation. The team could be in the chatroom and have the simulation spreadsheet up – we could discuss scenarios and see the results in the spreadsheet."; and "It was a great experience and I enjoyed working with the people in my group." One of the interesting facets was that the students seem not yet to grasp the reality of virtual teams in the workplace. They seem to think that they will always be able to meet face to face to collaborate on projects, and the inability to do so was seen as an unnecessary encumbrance.
The third area, instructor feedback, also had some interesting findings. Though the question for instructor feedback received more excellent and very good ratings than any other category, there were still comments from students wanting even more feedback. Students' comments indicated that they would like to have more feedback on cases. They thought this would allow them to have a better insight into their progress in the course. As noted in the literature review, students' satisfaction can be linked very closely to feedback from the instructor.