This study was set to identify self-regulation skills required for online learning and to characterize cognitive transfer of on-campus and online students. The study included two groups of undergraduate students who studied the same course, but in different settings: online and on-campus. Data collected via an online survey and semi-structured interviews indicated that cognitive strategies and regulation of cognition are significant for successful online learning. Findings also indicated that the online students were more aware of mastery learning and information processing strategies than the on-campus peers. The online students specified the importance of planning, controlling, and evaluation skills for meaningful learning; whereas the on-campus students asserted lack of self-discipline and limited communication skills as barriers for distance learning. Near-and far-transfer components were identified, showing a significant positive correlation with self-regulation skills for both groups of learners.

No abstract

This study examined the development of two Distance Learning (DL) courses and their effect on students' perceptions and learning experiences. Our study included about 260 science and engineering graduate students. Among them, 105 students were divided into two research groups: oncampus students (N=70) and DL students (N=35). These two groups served as a traditional classroom setting and an online setting, respectively. Data was collected through an online questionnaire consisting of both open-ended and close-ended questions and analyzed via the mixed methods model. Findings indicated that the DL students asserted positive perceptions of their learning experiences compared to the on-campus students. Female DL students were more confident about their ability to communicate with their classmates and lecturers in comparison to their male DL peers. We also found that younger students, in comparison to older ones, held higher positive opinions about the quality of the DL courses and the support they received from the lecturer and the teaching assistants. Content analysis revealed four main categories related to lifelong learning via DL: cognitive and professional skills, affective learning, social interactions, and resource management. Learning about students' perceptions of and experiences in DL is an important step toward improving the next generation of online courses in higher education.