| Social work is a growing profession and its education is expanding through the use of technology supported learning environments. Although distance education opportunities are increasing, social work educators and administrators continue to question its suitability. Much of the skepticism is rooted in the belief that to effectively educate about human interaction, instructors need to be face-to-face with students. The problem with this skepticism among social work educators is that it may be influencing student learning and student course satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine educational outcomes (i.e., course grades and cognitive learning) and levels of student course satisfaction of on-site students relative to remote-site students enrolled in interactive television (ITV) social work practice courses. Participants included thirty-eight bachelor level students enrolled in two social work practice courses at a regional university in Oklahoma. Data was collected on educational outcomes through final course grades and known learning indicators. Student satisfaction was collected from the university's course evaluation process. In addition, participants completed a demographic survey which assessed the characteristics of the sample. Data analysis included between-groups analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine if there were statistical differences between on-site and remote-site students in terms of educational outcomes and satisfaction levels after controlling for five covariates. Results indicated no statistically significant differences between on-site and remote-site students in regards to academic performance F (1, 27) = 0.015, p = .902; learning indicators F (1, 26) = 0.043, p = .837; and student satisfaction F (1, 25) = 0.894, p = .354, after controlling for age, gender, social work experience, drive time, and job interest. The only significant differences found in this study indicated females and students with more experience tended to learn more. This study concluded that site location does not significantly affect academic performance, learning indicators, or student satisfaction of students enrolled in ITV social work practice courses. Future research is recommended to replicate this study in programs of other sizes and locations, and to explore the relationship of learning indicators to gender and social work experience in social work practice courses. |
