STUDENT PREFERENCES FOR DISTANCE DELIVERY METHODS BASED ON LEARNING STYLE, CONTENT, AND EXPERIENCE WITH TECHNOLOGY

Betty Cragg, RN EdD
Director of the School of Nursing
University of Ottawa

Mary Anne Andrusyszyn, RN EdD
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
University of Western Ontario

Jennie Humbert, RN, MHSc
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program of Ontario
Eastern area co-ordinator

Suzanne Doucette, RN, MHA
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program of Ontario
Francophone co-ordinator

The Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner program is offered in both English and French by a consortium of the 10 Universities in Ontario with programs in nursing. Students register at their home university and have local tutors in clinical courses, but the theory component of each course is the responsibility of a professor appointed by one university who teaches all the students across the province by distance. As the program has developed since 1994, students have had experience with many distance education delivery methods, including print-based materials, audioteleconferencing, videoteleconferencing, CD ROM, and web-based modules, chat rooms, and computer conferencing.

In an effort to examine student preferences for distance delivery technologies, two studies were undertaken. The impact of learning preferences, types of content and characteristics of the technology were studied by both quantitative and qualitative methods. Because of the small numbers involved in the francophone program, qualitative methodology was used. Seven francophone students and faculty participated in interviews, reflecting on their preferences for delivery methods and reasons for choices. Eighty six anglophone students participated in a quantitative study. An instrument, based on the literature and the experience of the researchers, was developed and administered to all the students in the program. The questionnaire examined preferences in approaches to learning, choices of delivery methods students would make for specific content in the program, previous experience with distance education, and experience with technology in the program. Follow-up interviews were conducted with six students to further explore questionnaire findings.

Students in the quanitative study were overwhelmingly female, most of them assuming multiple role work, family, and community responsibilities. Eighty two percent of them were between the ages of 31 and 50. Sixty nine percent were part-time students. Nearly two thirds lived less than 50 kilometres from their home university, but a quarter lived more than 100 kilometres away.

In interviews in both languages, it was clear that students saw face-to-face learning as the benchmark, but appreciated the opportunity to study without travelling to a distant university. They felt that no one delivery method was ideal and reported that a mix of technologies, chosen for content and accessibility, should be used. For example, print and CD-ROM were preferred for learning theory and factual content. For learning roles and responsibilities, they wanted discussion through interactive means like computer conferencing or audio- or videoconferencing. They saw videotape as most appropriate for demonstrating physical assessment skills.

In their learning preferences, students indicated they preferred the big picture over details, liked to set their own learning plans, and preferred small group or individual learning over large groups. They chose doing as their preferred way of absorbing new learning, followed by observing and discussion. Hearing, reading, and reflecting were chosen significantly less frequently.

Respondents were asked to choose preferred distance delivery methods for types of content found in the program. Preferences differed somewhat for content areas but some common themes emerged. Print based materials had the highest mean rating and the rating was significantly higher than the mean ratings for all other methods, no matter what the content. In interviews, francophones and anglophones differed somewhat, with anglophones preferring print based materials more strongly. Both groups considered the written word the basis, or foundation of their learning in a program they recognized as highly self-directed. Print based materials also had the advantage of being reliable, portable and familiar. The CD-ROM that was developed for the Pathophysiology course again was appreciated. Audiotapes were the least popular delivery method. These had only been used as back-up for audioteleconferences in the programs. Anglophones chose videoconferencing fairly frequently and described their preference in terms of its similarity to face-to-face. Francophones, who had actually used videoconferencing were less enthusiastic, mainly because of the frequency of technological breakdown. Many students reported making modifications in how they used materials (eg. taping teleconferences or printing web-based materials, or forming face-to-face study groups) to make them more compatible with the way they preferred to learn.