A case study of student experiences using alternative systems of delivery: Face-to-face versus interactive television video and computer-mediated communication

The purpose for undertaking the present study was to discover some of the variables that are important in understanding the distance education experience from the point of view of the student and to discover how the variables interact together as a total experience.; The case study presented in this dissertation focused on one university course from the College of Education & Human Development delivered to two different groups of students in a single 15 week semester. The students who received the alternative mode of delivery were at a participating campus in a rural branch location. The alternative delivery was ITV for lecture and WebCT and e-mail for the discussion lab. The students who received the traditional face-to-face delivery of the course were on-site on the main campus and received the lecture and discussion lab face-to-face.; Study participants included four students from the rural branch site; two females, both age 19 and 20 and two males, both age 20, and four students from the main campus location; three females ages 19, 20, & 21, and one male age 22.; Multiple methods for data collection were used in this study including interviews, lecture and discussion lab observations of the quantity and type of interaction, document analysis, and a student satisfaction survey.; The data collected from the two sites showed a different experience for the participants at their respective sites. Participants on the main campus reported an overall positive experience. Rural branch participants were marginally satisfied with the lecture portion of the lab, however; the discussion lab was a dissatisfying experience resulting from computer-mediated communication and not having an equivalent lab experience as students on the main campus.; In this study it was found that the technology used to deliver the two components of the course, lecture and discussion lab, had an impact on the experience of the students. The study revealed that computer-mediated communication can inhibit interaction and lead to dissatisfaction with the learning experience. In addition, the study pointed out the need for an equivalent learning experience between the sites.