Preferred distance learning modalities of Millennial community college students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the online learning preferences of Millennial community college students. The study examined whether there was a difference in course satisfaction between online and blended modalities and between Millennial and adult students. Using the conceptual framework of Moore's theory of transactional distance, this study also investigated whether course dialog, structure, and support affect satisfaction.;The results indicated that students in both online and blended classes reported the same level of satisfaction regardless of the modality. Both Millennials and adult students reported the same level of satisfaction regardless of the age group. Results showed that dialog had a significant positive effect on course satisfaction regardless of the student age group or the course modality. There were significant differences found in the dialog ratings between selected disciplines. The results indicated that course support had a significant positive effect on course satisfaction regardless of the student age group or the course modality. Findings showed that course structure had a significant positive effect on course satisfaction for Millennial online students. There was no significant effect of course structure on satisfaction for other groups.;This study adds to the knowledge base on distance learning by exploring the differences in course satisfaction between online and blended modalities while focusing on the Millennial student in the community college. The findings from this study uncovered a positive relationship between structure and satisfaction for the Millennial online students. These findings were incongruent with existing theory and provide the foundation for further studies. The results of this study provide educators with information to build guidelines and strategies to optimize instructional design to create online learning environments for the diversity of learners within the community college.