The use of Web-based instruction is growing rapidly with much discussion surrounding the layout of screen content and the facilitation of communication. However, there is little information available regarding actual student perception and use of online instruction. The current study was designed to identify the factors that influence students to print online course information, to ascertain whether these printing activities are related to a reduction in various barriers, and to determine if these activities influence students’ satisfaction with learning. Implications for the design and development of Web-based instruction based on the results of this study are also discussed.
Introduction
From the beginning of their educational experience, students learn from the printed page, and researchers have been provided with years of opportunity to study this method of information delivery. For example, Houle (1996), when describing print-based instruction, noted that much is known about this instructional format related to readability, the display of exhibited material, appropriate ways to arrange content items, and the best use of various resource categories. Reiser and Gagne (1983) stated that the learning of verbal information from written text can be several times as rapid as with any other medium. Fleming and Levie (1993) acknowledged that students utilizing print-based instruction can readily determine the amount of information by noting the thickness, size of the type, number of pages, the table of contents, and other visual clues.
When designing instruction, one of the designer’s basic concerns is the student’s ability to comprehend the materials. The effective design of online instruction takes advantage of high levels of interactivity, chunking (small chunks of information), links, and graphics.
However, these design characteristics, while quite effective in this medium, can interrupt the flow of the eye and the pace of reading and affect the learner’s comprehension of the information (Smith, 1994; Veen, 1998). Wheildon (1995) also found this type of negative effect, describing how readers were annoyed by jumps in online content and linking between pages.
In a similar manner, Pantel (1997) describes the Web as a nonlinear information space with the size of the space unknown to end-users who may become disorientated and frustrated with this lack of data. For example, when students view a Web page that cannot fit on the computer screen all at one time, they must use the scroll bar (or the arrow keys) to move up and down the page, possibly causing them to lose their place in the text.
These characteristics of online instruction may also influence students’ desire to print online course materials, returning them to a format with which they are familiar; and hence, potentially more satisfied with the instruction. While the systematic approach to the design of instruction (Dick & Carey, 1990; Gagne, et al., 1992; Reigeluth, 1999; Seels & Glasgow, 1997; Smith & Ragan, 1993) suggests that the analysis of student characteristics is critical to the design of effective instruction, there is currently very little research available that tells the instructional designer, course developer, or instructor how students are actually using online course materials. Determining how students prefer to use information, and what their learning needs are, is a crucial design component for designers of Web-based Instruction (WBI).
It is already known that the most common barriers for adults to involve themselves in learning activities include time, cost, and quality (Darkenwald & Knox, 1984; Houle, 1996; Knowles, 1980; Merriam & Caffarella, 1991), with today’s learners also requiring flexibility and mobility in their learning experiences (Holmberg, 1981; Kaye & Rumble, 1981; Neil, 1981). With respect to Web-based instruction, Pantel (1997) and Ruben (1996) further suggested that students print online information to return it to a familiar format, that they can carry it with them, takes notes, etc.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate specifically how students use online course materials with respect to printing. The research questions include:
What factors influence students to print course information delivered online?
Do students’ printing activities influence course satisfaction?
These questions guided the design of the study as well as the analysis and discussion of the results.
Method
The sample for this study included students enrolled in four undergraduate-level courses at a major western university. Of the 289 students who received the survey, 205 students completed it for a response rate of 71 percent. Of these participants, 202 were undergraduate students and three reported “other.” 131 (64 percent) of the respondents were female. The majority of the students who responded were 20-24 years of age with a mean age of 22. The majority of the participants (n = 177, 86 percent) were white, non-Hispanic, and 28 (14 percent) of the participants were listed in other categories.
The questions for the survey were developed in collaboration with a subject matter expert and a university faculty member and were pilot tested with a class of 15 students. Upon completing the pilot test, the students were asked to report their understanding of the questions and the clarity of the instructions for successful access and completion of the survey. No major changes were required as a result of this testing.
For the actual study, the instructors in several classes forwarded an e-mail message to their students which briefly described the research, provided a link to the survey Web site, and asked the subjects to participate in the survey. Once students agreed to participate, their responses to the survey were submitted to a Website and tallied by WebCT, eventually being transferred to an electronic database within the software. The researcher compiled the short answer and paragraph responses for further analysis, with qualitative questions coded based on similar and related themes.
Results
175 participants (85 percent) reported that they printed pages from the course Web site, with 82 participants (40 percent) reporting that they printed 50 or more pages. The average number of printed pages across all participants was approximately 30.
The majority of participants used a computer at home (n = 148, 72 percent) or a computer in a lab on campus (n = 143, 70 percent). 22 of the participants (11 percent) indicated they used a computer at work, with 42 (20 percent) indicating that they used a computer in other locations. 80 of the participants (39 percent) used a computer both in a lab on campus and at home.
99 participants (48 percent) reported that this was the first course they had taken with a Web component. 78 participants (38 percent) reported they had taken one or two prior course(s) with a Web component, with 25 participants (12 percent) indicating they had completed three or more courses with Web components.
To further examine how students’ experience with learning online affected their printing activity, a Spearman Rho was used to determine the relationship between the number of prior courses taken by a student and the number of pages printed. The resulting correlation (r =.130) indicated that students with more prior experience in courses with a Web component printed as much or slightly more than students with little or no prior instructional Web experience.
The most common reason for printing cited by students (n = 71, 41 percent) was to study the information. This was followed by: being able to take the information with them to other locations (n = 46, 26 percent); providing easy reference to the materials (n = 43, 25 percent); being able to take notes on the pages, highlight them, and use them during lecture (n = 36, 21 percent); and difficulty reading on the computer (n = 18, 10 percent).
The primary reason for not printing, reported by 12 participants (6 percent), was to save paper. The next most frequently reported reason for not printing, reported by 8 participants (4 percent), was that there were too many pages to print and it took too long. Although 19 participants choosing not to print provided reasons related to cost, this item did not appear to be a major factor in this study.
The average time students invested in the course was approximately 5 hours, with the average time invested in printing reported as 20 minutes. The average time students spent printing was, therefore, 4 percent of the average overall total time spent on the course. Time for printing online class information, therefore, did not appear to be a major factor in this study.
The majority of the participants (85 percent) indicated that it was moderately easy or very easy to use the information on the site. Of those who did print from the Web, 91 percent reported it was moderately or very easy to use the information that they printed. Difficulties that were reported related to the format of the information to be printed (including graphics that would not print or were not legible when printed) and problems with the general formatting of the information.
Of the students who participated in this study, 41 (20 percent) reported they were very satisfied with the course, and 82 (40 percent) reported they were mildly satisfied. 35 percent of the participants indicated that their printing activity mildly increased their satisfaction with the course and 19 percent indicated that their printing activity greatly increased their satisfaction.
Spearman Rho was used to determine the relationship between the students’ overall satisfaction with the course and their perception that printing affected their satisfaction with the course. The resulting correlation (r = .334) indicated a moderate positive relationship, suggesting that the more students believe that printing increased their satisfaction with the course the more they perceived they were actually satisfied.
To further examine how students’ printing was related to course satisfaction, a Spearman Rho was used to determine the relationship between the number of pages printed and the perception that printing affected satisfaction for the course. The resulting correlation (r = .304) indicated that the number of pages printed had a low, positive relationship to student satisfaction for the course.
Finally, 59 participants (29 percent) reported that they would prefer the option to purchase a preprinted packet, with 49 participants (24 percent) reporting that they would prefer to have the online version appropriately formatted for printing. Fifty-two participants (25 percent) reported they preferred to print from the screen, and 33 participants (16 percent) reported that they preferred to use the information online.
Discussion
The data indicated that printing online material was important to some students since course information on the Web was not available during class, was not transportable, was not easy to reference, and was not tangible. The primary reason students provided for printing (41 percent) was to study. The students indicated they want to be able to take the information to class, highlight it, and take notes directly on it.
The information obtained in this study provides a number of implications for the design of Web-based instruction. First, instructional design models indicate that it is important to carry out a comprehensive audience analysis of the students who will be using the course Web site. If the students indicate that they are going to print the information from a Web site to facilitate their learning, then content should be provided in a printable format that is parallel to the online version. A number of students in the present study also indicated that they would like to be able to print the information without color or graphics.
Student recommendations also indicated the need for accuracy within the Web pages and a request for a summary page describing changes or updates in the Web system for those would like to print only revised pages. In essence, the recommendations indicate that designers and developers of online instruction should keep text simple while still taking advantage of the interactivity that the Web can provide.
Designers should also look more closely at the information they are putting online. During the media selection process, they need to determine if the newly developed information simply replaces another medium or if it supplements material presented in another format, particularly since not all educational experiences are appropriate for online technologies (Druin & Solomon, 1996; Volker & Simonson, 1995).
Additional questions for the instructional designer to investigate in this area could include:
Is the information interactive, providing feedback for the learner?
Does the information present some form of visual communication or motion that cannot be presented on a black and white sheet of paper?
Can students easily access the information they need to complete assignments and study?
Answers to these questions can significantly influence decisions to place course information online, to offer it in a printable version, or to offer it in another format altogether.
Third, designers need to consider all of the available instructional resources. If the online information is to be accessed primarily through printed copy, course designers should not waste time and energy formatting the material in complex ways for viewing on a computer screen. Instead, they could develop instructional activities that use the interactive and visual features of the Web, while also allowing for the simple layout of textual materials to be printed at some later time.
In addition, the designer of Web-based instruction needs to provide information on how a Web site should be used. Pantel (1997) suggests that it can be problematic when the size of the information space is unknown, and recommends including a site map that can provide guidance to all users. In the present study, for example, five participants recommended providing specific instructions for printing and three suggested the inclusion of a study guide for the Web site.
More research is needed to gain additional information concerning printing preferences and specific actions for students utilizing a Web site. Additional research is also needed to determine whether highly interactive Web sites provide different results with respect to printing than those courses with Web sites which simply provide content in the form of text and graphics.
Conclusion
When students reach post-secondary education levels, they have spent most of their lives devising and generally perfecting effective ways to learn the material presented in their classes. When faculty members place their course material on the Web, they are presenting the students with a new learning challenge, as this medium is generally quite different from the more familiar formats of their youth. Students can learn the mechanics of accessing a Web site and navigating through it; however, it takes time to develop new study strategies and habits.
If the information is to remain online, students need to gain new tools for effectively using the materials. Until new study habits are developed or until students have the ability to take notes directly on the Web, instructional designers should format their information in ways that facilitate learning whether the material is utilized online or printed out for later review.
