Learning Styles and Perception of Engineering Students Towards Online Learning

Abstract

Online learning allows flexibility in learning and accessing materials according to student needs in terms of time and techniques. Similarly, compared with traditional courses, online learning provides interactive materials that allow easy access to information and feedback from others. However, not all students are interested to engage in online learning (Norwati & Zaini, 2007), especially those students who are engaged in courses that require a face-to-face learning environment, such as engineering. Diaz and Cartnal (1999) claim this situation relates to learning styles. Students with different learning styles would have different perceptions and commitment towards online learning. This article aims to identify the learning styles of engineering students, and their perceptions towards online learning. Data were collected by using a questionnaire with two domains. The first section is the learning style domain that uses the learning style inventory (Kolb, 1984). The second section includes student perceptions towards online learning, which was adapted from O’Mally and McCraw (1999). The participants of the study consisted of 136 first year engineering students studying in a public university in Malaysia. The respondents have different learning styles, and most of them were identified as assimilator learners. In addition, the respondents tend to have a positive perception towards the effectiveness and related advantages of online learning. No significant relationship was observed among the perceptions towards online learning of students with different learning styles. Thus, learning styles have no influence on the perception of engineering students towards online learning.