Effectiveness of an online career development course versus its face to face counterpart on career decision-self-efficacy

Abstract

To continue to meet the changing needs of students and the evolving higher education environment, further exploration into the viability of an online career development course was needed. The purpose of this post-positivist, quantitative, quasi-experimental design study was to examine the effectiveness of an online career development course versus its face to face counterpart by comparing Career Decision Self-Efficacy (CDSE) scores for undergraduate students at a small private Northeastern institution of higher education. The independent variable was course format, face to face sections versus online sections. The dependent variables were CDSE scores and final course grades. The primary data gathering instrument was the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale (Betz & Taylor, 2012). Both online and face to face students received the same curriculum over a fifteen week semester. CDSE scores were measured in a pretest and posttest format and final course grades were submitted at the end of the course from each instructor. There was no significant difference between posttest CDSE scores and course format. There was a statistically significant difference between final course grades and CDSE scores. However, cumulative GPA significantly effects final course grades. Posttest CDSE scores elicited a statistically significant increase from pretest CDSE scores. After adjusting for pretest CDSE scores, there was not a statistically significant difference in posttest CDSE scores between students enrolled in an online or face to face career course. As online delivery of academic instruction continues to be developed and utilized, the results of this study may be helpful in providing support for offering online career development courses.--Author's abstract