Perceptions Of Undergraduate Business Students Toward Online Courses In Higher Education Expanded And Revisited: Do Gender, Age, And/Or Past Experiences Make A Difference?

This study analyzes the perceptions and preferences of a group of undergraduate business students with respect to taking on-line or distance education courses. In this last decade, distant learning programs have become very popular , and the number of offerings continues to increase. The growing popularity of this medium for instruction is due to a combination of factors. Technological advances have made the availability both economical and practical. The economic advantages of distributing scarce resources, geographically and temporally, to students in remote locations provide a broader market for distance education. Additionally, the increasing demand from students to acquire education at times that are convenient given their busy schedules and personal commitments makes distance education attractive to working learners (Roberts 1998). The new opportunities distance learning has provided have enabled students to create an atmosphere for learning at home. The distance debate usually focuses on issues related to student learning and outcomes and student attitudes as compared to traditional classroom-based settings (Phillips, 1998; Webster & Hackley, 1997). This study attempts to address these and other topics such as what is distance learning, what are the advantages and disadvantages, and what changes can be made to improve this type of learning. This research is intended to give students a realistic expectation of what to anticipate from distance learning courses based on information we have found and studies we have done. It is important that students have a realistic perception of the distant learning experience.