A descriptive analysis of online learning at a midwest university

The purpose of this study was to (a) explore students' primary reason for taking online courses, (b) determine students' perceptions of online courses over a three semester period, and (c) compare online and traditional courses at a Midwest university.; This study utilized pre-existing data gathered by the Faculty Technology and Learning Center, the university mainframe and the Institutional Research department. Participants consisted of students taking a course offered online or in the traditional classroom setting at this Midwest university in the Fall 2001, Spring 2002, or Spring 2003 semesters.; In regards to students' perceptions of online learning, less than half of the students agreed there is frequent student-to-student interaction and a majority of the students agreed there is frequent student-to-instructor interaction; the usability of the online course web site was good; the instructor was knowledgeable about the subject matter and provided helpful and timely feedback; the students learned as much in an online course as they did in traditional classroom courses, and the academic quality and learning experience is as good as traditional courses.; There appears to be significant differences between online and traditional courses at this university in regards to age, gender, grade levels, number of online courses previously taken, grades, and retention rates. A training program for online faculty members to increase student-to-student interaction and retention rates was recommended and future analysis of a larger population of students taking online and traditional courses over a longer time frame is warranted to determine if these findings can be generalized.