Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Human Resource Education and Workforce Development

First Advisor

Geraldine H. Holmes

Abstract

Population projections predicting dramatic increases in demand for higher education, and the explosive increase in technologies which may be essential to meet demand, are motivating changes in the culture of higher education. The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics of courses offered and learners served by the Louisiana State University Evening School in different learning environments; and to compare characteristics of learners enrolled in the course by the medium through which the course was delivered (defined as on-campus, telecourse, and off-campus). Data were collected from institutional records, course and instructor evaluations, and from the course syllabi provided by the instructors. A single introductory course in psychology was used in this study in order to minimize error due to subject matter effects. There were 213 learners enrolled in eight sections of the course. Selected characteristics of learners, instructors, learning materials, enrollments, and learning outcomes were described; and selected learner, instructor and outcome information were compared across learning environments. Over 90% of learners were single, and almost 70% were women. The majority of learners were under the age of 33, white, and more likely to be enrolled as undergraduates than as adult special students. Recommendations included tracking learners to aid outreach to underserved populations, providing learners with detailed course information to decrease obstacles to taking courses, and working with other organizational units to assess the needs of all learners.

ISBN

9780591998177

Pages

182

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.6774

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