Student Perceptions of Web-Based Supplemental Instruction

Abstract

The Internet is changing the way in which education is delivered, and in fact, some predict that the Internet will become the dominant distribution system for distance education and training. Many faculty members are expanding their traditional delivery methods (lecture, laboratory, face-to-face discussion) to include educational options ranging from Web-based course supplements to the complete delivery of courses online. While the primary focus of Web-based delivery has been in the development of stand-alone Web-based distance education courses, more faculty members are beginning to use the Web to supplement and enhance on-campus instruction. Data collected by The Campus Computing Project (1999) revealed that 28% of higher education courses have an associated Web page compared to 9% in 1996. The authors have chosen to augment a traditional face-to-face on-campus safety course with an online supplement. This article describes the assessment process used to gauge student perceptions of this new online supplement.