Internet Learning Volume 7, Number 1 • 2018/2019 | Page 12

Assessing the Effect of Course Materials Type on Undergraduate Student Performance in an Online Setting
Figure 1. A nonsignificant but interesting relationship was found between course materials
type (electronic course materials =0, physical course materials =1) and percentage of
gradebook completed
Discussion
This study examined the relationship
between course materials
type (e.g., electronic or physical)
and student performance in an
introductory level, general education,
online course serving adult learners.
Compared with other studies of course
materials and performance in college
settings, this study uniquely focused on
students who have chosen to learn in a
fully virtual environment, potentially
playing a role in their ability to effectively
consume and retain content presented
in electronic materials. As adult
learners in an online setting, these students
are accustomed to self-direction
and electronic, asynchronous course
environments in which the majority of
content is accessed onscreen. Students
in this population may be acclimated
to screen reading and may adjust their
reading strategies accordingly. Research
on adult learners indicates that students
benefit from assessments in which they
can apply reading to their own experience
(Conaway & Zorn-Arnold, 2016;
Marschall & Davis, 2012); thus, the
blend of formative and summative assessments
in this online course may
contribute to the reading strategies employed,
regardless of the text medium.
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