Scheduled for Research Consortium Health Poster Session, Thursday, April 27, 2006, 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Online Course Interest Among Health Education and Family and Consumer Science Students

Martha A. Bass, Rosanne S. Keathley and Eileen Boaz, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

On-line instructional courses were developed in 1997 through the California Virtual University (PBS, 2004). Sam Houston State University (SHSU) offered its first on-line course the summer of 2000. On-line course format provides a flexible, self-adjusted instructional environment reinforcing active learning within the student. Student preference was found to be the most significant variable in the development and the success rate of on-line courses (Perrault, 2002). Information related to Health Education (HED) and Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) on-line courses is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine graduate and undergraduate interest in on-line courses offered through HED and FCS. Results of this investigation will contribute to the knowledge base regarding student interest in the development of on-line courses for HED and FCS. The survey was administered to 337 students enrolled in FCS and/or HED courses at SHSU during Fall 2003 through Summer 2005 semesters. Frequencies and correlations were analyzed using SPSS version 12.0. Results indicate that 62% (n = 209) of survey participants would consider enrolling in on-line courses offered through HED and/or FCS; 73.8% (n = 104) of survey participants majoring in HED or FCS would consider enrolling in HED and/or FCS on-line courses; and, 56.2% (n = 113) of participants not majoring in HED or FCS indicated interest in enrolling in HED and/or FCS on-line courses. Regarding interest in on-line graduate programs, 36.5% (n = 123) of participants expressed interest in enrolling in an on-line HED program with 12.2% (n = 41) indicating an interest in an on-line FCS program. Findings suggest students majoring in HED and FCS are clearly interested in participating in HED and FCS graduate and undergraduate on-line courses. College and University departments in the areas of HED and FCS need to develop on-line format courses to meet the academic and personal needs of today's student. Further investigation of other institutes of higher education is warranted to determine national trends in on-line classes in the content area of HED and FCS.
Keyword(s): curriculum development, technology

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