Online or Traditional: A Study to Examine Course Characteristics Contributing to Students' Preference for Classroom Settings

Technological advancements currently penetrate society, changing the way that some courses are taught. It has become more apparent in higher education institutions that all classes are not as adaptive to an online format as others. Since many institutions of higher education further incorporate online courses into their curriculum, it is important to understand the characteristics of courses that affect students’ preferences for either traditional classroom environments or online environments. Indications of this can be seen in the attrition and retention rates of classes offered online. This study explores the characteristics of courses that affect students’ preferences towards online and traditional classroom settings. These results should help providing guidelines to institutions considering courses to offer online. 73 Copyright © 2010, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 74 Online or Traditional