Student Characteristics and Achievements in Online and On-Campus FCS Courses

Abstract

With a growth in online course offering in recent years, there is much research focusing on student performance and student learning outcomes. However, research focusing on characteristics and achievement in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) higher education courses was not found. The purpose of this study was to compare student characteristics and achievements in online and oncampus FCS courses. The original study collected data from students enrolled in either the online or face-to-face section of the same junior-level course so variables were consistent. The study was later extended to another university using the same research set-up, but with a freshman-level course. This small, limited study provides preliminary insights that cannot be generalized, yet allow FCS faculty to distinguish student characteristics and achievements associated with on-campus and online courses. While student characteristics varied slightly, student achievement for online and on-campus students were similar. Additional studies are needed to provide more in-depth comparisons of these delivery systems. Since few FCS studies have reported this topic, the findings from this study provide baseline data for designing more in-depth comparisons of students.