The Effect of an Introductory Computer Course on Online Instruction Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an introductory computer course on online instruction self-efficacy and significance of demographic variables of gender, age, formal computer training, computer experience, online instruction experience, and Internet experience in relation to online instruction selfefficacy.

This was accomplished by assessing online instruction self-efficacy beliefs of undergraduate students of the College of Human Ecology, the University of Tennessee who were enrolled in an introductory computer course in spring and summer 2002. The population sample included 92 students who completed the Tennessee Online Instruction Scale (TOIS) at the beginning and at the end of the course.

It was found that for the population of this study, online instruction self-efficacy assessed by the TOIS significantly increased at the end of an introductory computer course. The reliability of the TOIS was found to be satisfactory (Cronbach alpha = .97). The demographic variables of formal computer training and online instruction experiences appeared to be significantly related to posttest online instruction self-efficacy beliefs of the subjects. However, since this study did not avoid limitations in the research design, these findings should be confirmed by further research.

This study has implications for administrators, educators, and instructional designers who are involved in building undergraduate programs with online presence.