Online vs. Traditional Students: What Are the Differences?

Some students loathe the classroom and would conduct their entire college careers through their computers if possible. Others hate to even encounter a disk drive.

With the goals and personalities of students so different these days, just what is the best way to design courses to meet all needs?

Especially online courses, with a format still relatively new in the industry? Just what are the key differences in an online student?

A novel study is
seeking to answer these questions.

Instructors developing online courses are faced with the question of whether the students in these classes are fundamentally different from students in traditional courses. If there are differences between the types of students who enroll in online versus traditional classes, instructors would need to be mindful of the differences when designing various aspects of the course.

Apparently, the differences in online students versus traditional students widely vary, including everything from personality to motivation to demographics. One troubling result was a perceived lack of motivation in online students, evidenced by higher course dropout rates.

But is this fair to assign to the students themselves, or could it be a sign that online courses need to be better designed? Is it a sign that students need special instruction in how to succeed in online courses?

I choose to believe the latter: that changes are needed in the online classroom environment and instructor and student training. What do you think?