A Comparison of Face-to-Face On-Campus and Distance Education Undergraduate Nontraditional Adult Learner Students’ Academic, Social, and Environmental Needs in the Collegiate Setting

Abstract

With the continued growth of nontraditional adult learners in both the on-campus and distance education environments over the past few decades, there has come an ever-increasing need for further research in regards to the specific needs of these student populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the academic, social, and environmental needs of nontraditional adult learners in the distance education learning environment compared to face-to- face on-campus nontraditional adult learners in order to improve post-secondary course offerings and programs as a whole within the college and university settings. This study used quantitative research measures in its design through the use of an electronic online survey. The survey, with a stratified random sample of 498 part-time and full-time nontraditional adult learners in the collegiate setting, was used to measure responses to each of the research questions. The sample for this study consisted of one independent variable which was the learning environment (either distance or face-to-face); the dependent variables were the academic, social, and environmental needs scales. The results of the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test indicated that no significant interaction existed between distance education nontraditional adult learners as compared to face-to-face on-campus nontraditional adult learner in regards to academic and environmental needs in the collegiate setting. However, the results of the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test did indicate that a significant interaction existed between distance education nontraditional adult learners as compared to face-to-face on-campus nontraditional adult learner in regards to social needs in the collegiate setting.