| Asynchronous distance education video courses are among the emerging technological versions of traditional correspondence courses. Students who enroll in this type of distance education at a large community college in north central Alabama receive videos and printed study materials at an orientation session for a selected video course. These students then view previous lectures on video as they complete suggested homework assignments. The instructor is available for tutoring sessions or discussions during designated times on campus. The distance education students return to campus as needed and then are required to return to take a midterm exam and a final exam. These testing periods may be the only contact with the instructor or other students.;The research problem of this study was to determine if differences existed in demographics, achievement, and attitudes between students attending traditional and video-course presentations of introductory algebra at a large community college in north central Alabama. Demographics such as age, gender, preparedness, employment, marital status, and final grades were investigated as well as student satisfaction with format and perceptions of instructor effectiveness by means of a survey instrument near the end of the semester. A total of 141 students participated in this study.;Chi-square analysis indicates no significant differences in preparedness or perception of instructor effectiveness. A statistically significant difference exists at the .05 level with the traditional students being more satisfied with their selection of format than the video students, the age of the video students being older than the age of the traditional students, more females taking the video course than the traditional course, more video students being employed full-time than those in the traditional course, and more video students being married than those of traditional students. Retention was not examined due to the lack of withdrawals from the courses. |
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