On-campus, distance or online? Influences on student decision-making about study modes at university

Abstract

This article examines the choices students make when deciding the mode of study they will enrol in for university. It expands on previous work in the field by surveying 744 Faculty of Arts students at an Australian university who had the choice of enrolling in one of three study modes: on-campus, distance or purely online. Influences on enrolment mode were categorised into six factors: personal, logistics, teaching and learning, learning support, environment, and advice and marketing. Significant differences in influence were found between the three cohorts of students, while the teaching and learning and logistics factors were found to be the most influential for all cohorts. The findings of this research offer administrators, learning and teaching support staff, and academics important information that can be used to tailor the delivery of teaching and services to the varying needs of different cohorts.