Student perceptions of online and traditional classroom communication

The development of online instruction and the continuing increase in the emphasis toward distance education have changed the methods by which instructors communicate with students and vice-versa. The purpose of this study was to determine student perceptions of how online instructional communication and traditional classroom instructional communication differs. The study was conducted in the setting of the undergraduate Human Resource Development, Training and Development core, and an online survey was administered to students enrolled for the Summer, 2000 semester. Major implications of the study indicated (a) that students have definite communication preferences which the educator should strive to recognize and account for during instruction, and b) the lack of nonverbal communication in the online environment necessitates the enrichment of online communication techniques.