Distance Education - Identify Success - September 23, 2008 -

Many colleges are searching to find a method of detecting students, who would become successful in a web-based distance learning situations. Today, students need flexible leaning environments, in order to meet the demands of work and family. However, many times students who enroll in these web-based distance learning classes do not succeed. Locating a tool/assessment that could identify students and guarantee success in a web-based class, prior to enrollment, would be a great benefit to both students and community colleges.

The study conducted by Monica DeTure and discussed in the 2004 American Journal of Distance Learning looked at two forms of tests. The first was a cognitive style identification test called the Group Embedded Figures Test. This test showed the varying ways that learners perceive and interact with instructional environments, strategies, and media. Students were then placed into two categories: field dependent or field independent. Those identified as field dependent rely on those around them and their environment when learning. Field independents rely on internal cues and are autonomous with their learning. In earlier studies, it was found that students that are field independent are more competent in search and navigation tasks involving a computer, when compared to field dependent students, who are often times lost and confused when placed in a computer based learning environment.

The second test was the Online Technologies Self-Efficacy Scale. Self-efficacy has long been shown to be a valuable factor related to student performance. Thus, when a students level of confidence is raised, their performance levels are also increased. This second test placed students into two categories: students who had a positive self-efficacy, when working in a technology learning environment and the other being students, who had a negative or less than positive self-efficacy when working in the same environment.

It was discovered, more often than not, that the field dependents were students with a lower self-efficacy and the field independents held a high self-efficacy, when related to placement in a web-based distance learning class. The field independents were more comfortable in this environment because there were more opportunities for autonomous learning and fewer group dialogues. However, field dependents were at a disadvantage in this atmosphere because of the lack of communication and the focus of independent learning settings.

With all of this information presented, the findings would appear to be simple. However, this wasnt the case. Whenever a study deals with people, there are factors that arent always seen at first glance. The findings revealed that field independent students, who have high technology self-efficacy, did not receive higher grades than the field dependent students with low technology self-efficacy. These findings also conclude that the combination of Group Embedded Figures Test and the Online Technologies Self-Efficacy Scale are not good indicators of whether students will achieve success in a distance learning class. The reasons for these findings were not easily seen, but the results were clear. However, one thing is known, more studies must be conducted.

With the boom in distance learning and web-based classes, it will become increasingly important to discover why some students succeed and others do not. Although the findings were not able to identify students, who would benefit from flexible learning environments, the quest for locating these tools needs to continue.

Amy Chapman writes the college search engine and profile site http://www.helpaboutcollege.com provides visitors with 1,000 college and university profiles, covering private and public schools. The distance learning search engine enables students to find those hard to find programs.

When not writing about education, Amy writes for the Arizona relocation site, http://www.arizonan.com provides those moving to the Phoenix Arizona area with information on 170 communities, new home developments, rental homes and much more. There is a full Arizona MLS online, complete with virtual tours of Arizona homes and condos. All sites are managed and operated by Arizona search marketing and optimization company, Chapman Interactive Inc Chapman Interactive manages websites for clients across a wide range of fields, including law, real estate, education and finance.

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