Quality of Online Versus On-Campus Learning is Indistinguishable: Drexel Research Team to Present Online Education Findings at NEAIR Conference

A research team from Drexel University has been invited to the 33rd Annual North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR) Conference on November 6, 2006, to present findings from an online vs. on-campus research study they conducted involving adult learners.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) November 6, 2006 -- A research team from Drexel University has been invited to the 33rd Annual North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR) Conference on November 6, 2006, to present findings from an online vs. on-campus research study they conducted involving adult learners. This research team, made up of Dr. Kenneth Hartman, director of academic affairs at Drexel University Online and adjunct associate professor of education, Dr. Kristen Betts, director of the Master of Science in Higher Education program at Drexel University and an assistant professor of education, and Mark Palladino, director of Institutional Research at Philadelphia University, conducted the first comparison study between adult students earning their degree on-campus (traditional) and adult students earning their degree through distance education (online) to compare the level of intellectual rigor and the impact that both delivery methods had on family and work-life issues.

"This is the first study of its type to compare the expectations and actual experiences of both on-campus and online adult learners, the results of which suggest the quality of on-line versus on-campus learning is indistinguishable," said Hartman. "Quality of instruction is what matters the most to online students; therefore, it behooves all institutions offering online degrees to internally examine the experience and opinions of their online students."

The North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR) is dedicated to promoting the professional activity of institutional research in higher education and to provide information and professional development opportunities in the field of institutional research for its members will hold the 33rd Annual NEAIR Conference November 4th through the 7th at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia, PA. More information about attending this conference and membership can be found at http://www.neair.org/. Drexel's executive summary of its findings can be accessed at http://www.drexel.com.

About Drexel University Online
Drexel University Online is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Drexel University, specializing in innovative, Internet-based distance education programs for working professionals and corporations in the United States and abroad. A pioneer in online education, Drexel has offered programs online since 1996. For more information on forming an educational partnership with Drexel University Online visit www.drexel.com, e-mail or call (877) 215-0009.

About North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR)
The North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR) is a regional membership organization for institutional researchers in the northeastern U.S. and the eastern provinces of Canada. The purposes of NEAIR are to promote the professional activity of institutional research in higher education and to provide information and professional development opportunities in the field of institutional research for its members.

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