| Distance education in formal undergraduate and graduate programs is the fastest growing segment of adult education, and many institutions and instructors are placing learning opportunities on the World Wide Web. Yet many adult learners do not possess the skills required to successfully complete Web-based courses. Although learning at a distance has been in existence for over 100 years, there are very few pedagogical theories on learning at a distance. The purpose of this study was to propose a conceptual model of learning in Web courses and to test this model in a specific setting: a large Midwestern university offering courses taught via the Web. The model suggested that computer technology would mediate learner autonomy, that learner autonomy would effect the required level of course structure, and that there would be a linear relationship between learner autonomy and course structure to explain a significant portion of the variance in satisfaction with perceived learning in the fourteen Web courses included in the study.; 240 randomly sampled students were asked to complete the questionnaires. A total of 68 (28%) usable responses were completed online. The Learner Profile questionnaire included a previously developed scale (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, Pintrich, Smith, Garcia & McKeachie, 1991), and a modified version of Stein & Wheaton's (2000) Computer Technology Scale. Course structure was assessed by three independent instructional designers using the Course Structure Rubric, developed for this study.; Correlation coefficients were utilized to examine the relationships between course structure, learner autonomy, computer technology experience and satisfaction with perceived knowledge gained in a Web-based course. Results partially supported the model, as computer technology experience was found to be related to learner autonomy, and learner autonomy was found to be related to satisfaction with perceived knowledge gained. Satisfaction with perceived knowledge gained was not, however, related to course structure in this study. Consequently, the model was revised. |
