Özet:

Online collegiate education offers students access to higher education, irrespective of their proximity to the university. Non-traditional student populations benefit from online education because they often work full time and are parents of young children. They can still earn a degree, despite their work and familial obligations. However, the results are mixed regarding the academic performance of students in online courses, relative to courses that are taught face to face (F2F). These students are generally not online education-savvy. They require extensive orientation to online learning norms and processes, and need large quantities of professor-student online interactions. Failure of university administrators and professors to recognize their needs and/or to institutionalize the responses to their needs can negatively affect students’ academic performance in online courses, relative to F2F courses. This study compares the academic performance of non-traditional undergraduate business majors in online and F2F courses. The authors also discuss students’ knowledge of online learning norms and the course platform prior to enrolling in online courses and how this can impact their course performance.

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