Introduction

A Department of Education report (December 17) on distance education included the following statistics:

As of 1997-98, 79 percent of public four-year institutions, 22 percent of independent four-year institutions, and 72 percent of public two-year institutions were offering distance education classes.  In addition, distance education course offerings and enrollment have nearly doubled between 1994-95 and 1997-98, as have the number of degree and certificate programs offered.  The fastest growth has been in courses provided over the Internet, jumping from 28 percent of institutions in 1995 to 60 percent in 1998 [my bold].  (Legislative Update, 1999)

 

Now that Internet courses have become a part of most curricula in higher education, it is imperative that we focus our attention on making these courses as effective as their traditional counterparts.  There is a considerable collection of journal articles and other publications in which the various issues of on-line education are discussed--articles about effective use of the technology, creating effective websites, instructor time-management, instructor compensation, instructor support, effective communication with students, assessment of on-line programs, and the list goes on and on.  One issue that has received little attention is the on-line classroom.  Just as we are concerned about the traditional classroom and the impact of this environment on learning, so must we show a similar concern for the on-line classroom, and we must study this new environment and how it affects the on-line student.

When people hear the word “classroom,” the mental images they have probably share a common group of characteristics.  The traditional classroom that they describe will include a teacher’s desk, student desks or tables/chairs, blackboards or whiteboards, maps, pull-down movie screens, bulletin boards, overhead projectors and, more recently, TV monitors and maybe computer projection equipment.  If they are asked to describe an on-line classroom and they try to create a visual image, more than likely they would find it very challenging.  The reason is that there is no single or standard image for the on-line classroom.  There are potentially as many images as there are students involved in a particular on-line class.  Because the basic requirement for taking an on-line class is a computer with Internet access and e-mail capability, the on-line classroom or E-room is located wherever the students decide that it will be.  In some cases, the E-room will be the computer room at the local college or university.  However, more and more students are creating E-rooms in their own homes or workplaces.

Educators have studied the traditional classroom in order to ensure that it is an effective element of the learning experience.  Now we need to investigate the E-rooms so that we can ensure that they create an environment that has a positive impact on student learning.  The first step of this research involves describing the actual learning environments, or E-rooms, of students presently participating in on-line classes.  With this base of information, it will be possible in future research to determine how effective these environments are and to determine ways to enhance or improve these E-rooms.

 

Method

To obtain information about existing on-line learning environments or E-rooms, I surveyed 84 active, on-line students enrolled in one or more of seven classes offered by Dr. John V. Adams, Associate Professor of English at Southside Virginia Community College in Alberta, Virginia.  Over a period of approximately one month (from November 18 to December 13, 1999), I received a total of 66 responses, a response rate of almost 79 percent.  The survey asked the students to provide the following information:

1.       Describe the room where you normally do the work for your on-line class.

2.       >Describe any difficulties or distractions you frequently encounter while >you are working on-line for the class, for example, computer problems, >household noises, interruptions, and other such problems.

3.       Describe the type of computer equipment you normally use.  For example, >mention the brand name and power of the computer you use.  Also, mention >the >type of monitor and size of the screen.

First, I took the students’ descriptions of the room where they normally did their work for the on-line class and broke it down into three categories: (1) where they did their work (the room or rooms), (2) the furniture in the room(s), and (3) any information that they included about how the room(s) was decorated.  I created a table with this information listed in short form.  Then I analyzed the information from the students about difficulties or distractions that they frequently encountered while doing work for their on-line class.  I created another table that included a list of the various types of difficulties/distractions paired with the number of times any student mentioned a particular difficulty or distraction.  Finally, I summarized the information from the students’ descriptions of their computer equipment.

 

Findings

Description of the E-room

            The results of the analysis of the survey data indicated that the room most frequently used by the students as their E-room was their bedroom (31%).  The spare bedroom or converted bedroom was the second most frequently indicated response (11%) followed by the living room and den/family room (8% each).  Four of the students did not indicate a specific room (6%).  The table below shows the breakdown of the students’ responses:

Table: Rooms Used by On-line Students as their E-room

 

Room	# of responses	% (of 66)
bedroom spare bedroom living room den/family room room not specified college computer lab home office college library dining area work office daughter’s bedroom electronics lab computer/dining room computer room trailer office single-wide trailer huge room over garage work station kitchen playroom in basement large room small room basement	20.5 * 7 5.5 * 5 4 3.5 * 2.5 * 2 1.5 * 1.5 * 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1	31% 11% 8% 8% 6% 5.5% 4% 3% 2% 2% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5%

 

* Three students described two rooms that they used as

   their E-room so each room was given 0.5.

 

 

         The students also noted the furniture in the E-room and, in most cases, included a description of how the room was decorated.  Almost all rooms had at least a table and chair in varying degrees of quality and comfort.  Some tables and chairs were specifically made for computer use while others were makeshift, for example: “small table, . . . dining room chair.”  E-rooms often shared duties with other rooms: bedrooms, living rooms, dens, kitchen, and dining rooms.  The furniture in these rooms reflected this dual purpose.  Family photographs and favorite posters and pictures were the primary decorations in these rooms.  Examples of students’ descriptions of decorating styles included “dull atmosphere, white walls”;  “some house plants, and usually husband reading a book”; “done in light pink which gives me a calming effect”; “horrible red carpet…..with beanie babies all around and a picture of Pattie LaBelle from a concert and a poster of Janet Jackson and Cher on the wall”; and “looks like a goat exploded in it.” 

Difficulties or Distractions

In the survey of students, I also asked the students to indicate the types of difficulties or distractions that they encountered while working on-line.  Responses ranged from the very brief “TV” to the expressive “@#!~%* chicken hawks & foxes.”  The most frequent distraction was a family member.  Thirty-three students indicated that their children, husbands, grandchildren, mothers, and sisters were a distraction or caused them difficulties in carrying out their class work.  Eighteen students noted computer problems; 11 students mentioned dogs and/or cats as a distraction; 10 students listed the telephone; 9 students noted the television; and the same number indicated having problems with their Internet service provider.  Seven students noted that they had no difficulties or distractions.  Other difficulties or distractions listed by two or more students included the following: library/lab noise, guests/visitors, household work, ignorance of the computer’s ability, friends, household noises, being away from home (including motel distractions, lack of resources, no access to a computer), lab computers not always available, and work responsibilities. 

Computer Equipment

Effective equipment is an important element in any learning environment.  This is particularly true in an on-line class.  To get an idea of the computer capabilities of on-line students, I asked them in the same survey to describe the computer equipment that they normally use.  Three students had access to a laptop computer, two students were using WebTV, and two students did not respond to this part of the survey.  The remainder of the students indicated that they had desktop computers.  Descriptions of their equipment ranged from off-brands or home/store built systems, 13” monitors and no printers to state-of-the-art Pentium III computers, 19” monitors, and HP DeskJet printers (no laser printers were mentioned).

 Conclusions/Implications

            Because this is a descriptive study, there are no conclusions as such.  The results of this study do, however, allow for a comparison of the traditional classroom with the E-room.  On the one hand, the traditional or on-site classroom is separate from rest of the students’ lives; the on-line classroom or E-room is usually an integral part of their lives.  It is their bedroom, their living room, their family room, etc.  While the traditional classroom is more often institutionalized in appearance and the students are a “captive audience,” the E-room can be personalized to suit individual preferences and the students are free to come and go as they please.  In the traditional classroom, the instructor sends a strong psychological signal to students that this is academic time and only academic time; in the E-room, the students must create their own sense of academic time.  External distractions in the traditional classroom come primarily from other students; distractions in the E-room come in many shapes and sizes, e.g., family members, dogs, neighbors, the television, telephones, etc. 

Equity is also a factor in the comparison of the two classrooms.  In the traditional classroom, there is a basic sense of equality in terms of the classroom environment.  Everyone is in the same room with the same equipment and the same ambiance.  The E-rooms are a different matter.  The results of this study indicate that the students’ E-rooms are definitely not equal.  Some students have dedicated space for their E-rooms; others share space--in the living room, kitchen, playroom, etc.  There are students with state-of-the-art computer equipment, while others have lower range models.  Some E-rooms have regular office furniture that provides a comfortable learning environment.  Others have makeshift furniture. 

            From the information discovered in this study, one cannot draw any direct conclusions about impact of the E-room on the on-line students.  This is a fruitful area for future research.  For example, this study could be replicated over time and with on-line students from a variety of institutions of higher education to develop a larger body of information about E-rooms.  Other studies could be done to determine the impact of the E-room on the learner.  Ultimately, it is hoped that the results of such research will be used to help on-line students take advantage of the positive elements of their E-rooms and help them deal with the challenges presented by the E-rooms.

 

 

Reference

Legislative update.  (1999, December 20).  [On-line].  Available: http://www.nacubo.org/website/flu.htm  [2000, January 10].