Integrating information and communication technologies into higher education: investigating onsite and online students' points of view

Abstract

For the past two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. The purpose of this study is to investigate the points of view of onsite students (blended or hybrid mode) and of those taking the same courses on the Internet (online mode). A moderator‐type theoretical research model was developed, out of which nine hypotheses were formulated. The model was tested in a field experiment. Data were collected using a multi‐method approach; that is, a web survey involving open‐ended and closed‐ended questions. The sample was formed of 313 onsite and online students from eight undergraduate and graduate courses offered at the Faculty of Administration of a large Canadian university. The quantitative data analysis was performed using structural equation modelling software; that is, partial least squares. The qualitative data were analysed following a thematic structure using QSR NVivo software. This paper presents a summary of the quantitative results (closed‐ended questions) supported by and enriched by the qualitative results (open‐ended questions).