A student's characteristics and attitudes towards an asynchronous web-based course

Abstract

Since the computer has become a powerful educational tool, the Web has become a challenge for teaching and learning. This paper provides the information from students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout regarding the advantages and disadvantages of asynchronous learning versus a traditional face-to-face classroom experience. This research also identifies the characteristics of the successful asynchronous learner. Data was collected from a mail survey from 100 students who had previously taken an asynchronous web-based course at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The questionnaire obtained students' attitudes and characteristics towards an asynchronous web-based course. There were 46 respondents that completed the questionnaire. The descriptive statistics used to analyze the data included frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. From the statistical results, the most important reason that students took an online course was the time flexibility. Most students were satisfied and would like to see more online courses. The strengths of an asynchronous web-based course are the time flexibility and convenience. However, there were some weaknesses, which should be considered. Most people felt that an online course created additional stress due to the technical difficulties and varying degrees of computer proficiency. The major drawback was the lack of student-to-student / student-to-instructor interaction. From the background information, it can be concluded that the outstanding characteristics of an asynchronous learner are 1) female, 2) 35-44 years old, 3) married and, 4) a graduate student. According to the results of this research, there were some suggestions for further study. In order to reduce the technical difficulties and compensate for the lack of interaction, an orientation session and visual interactive technology should be considered.