Is it Convenience? Investigating Factors That Influence Graduate Students’ Preference for Method of Online Lecture Participation.

This study aimed to identify factors that impact graduate health students’ preference for synchronous or asynchronous online lecture participation. Constructive factors were proposed and then measured for each participant via the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire scales. It was hypothesized that students ranking lower in the domains of self-efficacy (confidence in mastering a task) and time management (ability to manage time) while higher in the domain of peer learning (communicating with peers to improve understanding) would favor synchronous lecture participation. Conversely, students ranking higher in self-efficacy and time management and lower in peer learning would favor asynchronous lecture participation. In a survey, participants were asked to indicate a preference for synchronous or asynchronous online lecture participation and indicate agreement with various item statements regarding perceptions of online learning. Multiple logistic regression was utilized to determine which factors were associated with student preference for an online lecture. Peer learning significantly impacted students’ decisions, while time management and self-efficacy were not deemed influential. Other factors, including student perception of convenience, ease of concentrating during lectures, and the role of online lectures within graduate health programs, exhibited significant differences between synchronous and asynchronous groups. Overall, students within the synchronous group valued peer learning more, reported less difficulty concentrating during lectures, and expressed less desire for online lectures to be a part of their graduate health program. Both synchronous and asynchronous groups believed that decisions regarding online lecture participation are made with respect to how they best learn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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