Educators have, for many years, noticed that some students prefer certain methods of learning more than others. These traits, referred to as learning styles, form a student's unique learning preference and aid teachers in the planning of small-group and individualized instruction. If optimal student learning is dependent on learning styles, and these styles vary between distance and equivalent on-campus students, then faculty should be aware of these differences and alter their preparation and instructional methods accordingly.
The purpose of this study was to compare the student learning styles of two online health education classes (N = 68) with an equivalent on-campus class (N = 40). The Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales (GRSLSS) was administered to determine student social learning preferences in six learning style categories. Students who enrolled in the distance education class were significantly more Independent learners than students in the equivalent on-campus class (p < .01). Students enrolled in the equivalent class were significantly more Dependent learners than the distance group (p < .01).
Correlational analysis revealed that on-campus students displayed collaborative tendencies that were positively related to their needs to be competitive and to be good class citizens. Thus, on-campus students appeared to favor collaborative styles to the extent that it helped them to obtain the rewards of the class. In contrast, online students were willing and able to embrace collaborative teaching styles if the instructor made it clear that this was expected, and gave them form and guidance for meeting this expectation. Online students appeared to be driven more by intrinsic motives and clearly not by the reward structure of the class.
Faculty who are putting a traditional course online, should consider administering a student learning style inventory to both their distance and traditional students. Knowledge of student learning preferences can aid faculty in class preparation, designing class delivery methods, choosing appropriate technologies, and developing sensitivity to differing student learning preferences within the distance education environment.