Examining Drivers of Course Performance: An Exploratory Examination of an Introductory CIS Applications Course |
| |
| Authors: | Rhonda A Syler Casey G Cegielski Sharon L Oswald R Kelly Rainer Jr |
| |
| Institution: | University of Arkansas at Little Rock, College of Business, Department of Management, 2801 South University Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72204, e-mail:; Auburn University, College of Business, Department of Management, e-mail: , , |
| |
| Abstract: | The accelerating diffusion of broadband Internet access provides many opportunities for the development of pedagogically robust Web‐based instruction (WBI). While the supporting technology infrastructure of broadband disseminates, the attention of academic researchers focuses upon issues such as the drivers of student usage of WBI. Specifically, the research presented herein examined the impact of WBI on a student's aggregate course performance. We hypothesized that learning independence (LI) is a determinate factor in a student's use of WBI. In this study, we employed structural equation modeling techniques to examine the data and assess the direct and indirect effects of LI on WBI usage. The subjects, students in an introductory Computer Information Systems applications course, used a Web‐based tutorial program for skills instruction. The findings of this study suggest that WBI usage has a significant impact on a student's course performance. Despite its plausibility, the effect of LI on WBI usage was not significant. However, we did conclude that two of the second order factors of the LI construct have a direct effect on a student's performance in the course. |
| |
| Keywords: | Exploratory Factor Analysis Learning Independence Learning Styles Structural Equation Modeling Web-Based Instruction |
|
|
