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Multivariate statistical analyses were used to determine if there were differences in sense of community and perceived learning between university students enrolled in fully online and fully face-to-face on-campus courses (N = 279). Study results provide evidence that online students feel a weaker sense of connectedness and belonging in both classroom and school-wide communities than on-campus students who attend face-to-face classes. Moreover, results provide evidence that nontraditional students tend to form stronger social bonds and feel more connected with each other in a university setting than do the younger, more traditional students. However, no differences in perceived learning were found between online and on-campus groups.
INTRODUCTION
The professional literature provides substantial evidence to suggest that there are no significant differences in learning and other relevant educational outcomes based on the instructional delivery medium. In particular, Russell (1999) reviewed 355 studies to determine if educational outcomes differ between coursework presented at a distance and face-to-face. He concluded that the course delivery medium does not make a difference, which he portrayed as the no significant difference phenomenon, a conclusion that many proponents of distance education frequently cite to endorse the worth of online course delivery. Moreover, the professional literature suggests that learning is not caused by the technology, but by the instructional method embedded in the media (Clark, 1994).
While many facets of distance education have been thoroughly investigated, other facets have not, and two issues repeatedly surface, notwithstanding Russell's (1999) no significant difference phenomenon. The first issue is the lingering concern among some educators and researchers regarding the quality of learning in distance education courses. Abrami and Bures (1996), for example, assert:
In particular, social and intellectual isolation are two course-related factors that may contribute to weaknesses in DE. Distance learners appear to experience fewer and less-essential opportunities to interact with teachers and other students to discuss course content, assignments, learning strategies, and personal concerns about learning. DE students are physically separated from the social learning environment, and this may have effects on their perceptions of psychological isolation and detachment, which in turn, affect learning. (p. 39)
Tabs (2003), writing for the National Center of Educational Statistics, also raises the issue of quality when he reports that 26% of U.S. postsecondary schools feel that...