Abstract:

Distance education has an increased presence in the current educational system and is complementing the traditional face to face system of teaching and learning. The current research paper investigates the influence of the gender of the students on the experience of distance educational objectives, needs, learning preferences, and preferred instructors. This study aims to clarify the way the gender changes the students’ preferences within the context of the distance education programs. In order to succeed in this research endeavor a questionnaire survey has taken place. This survey lasted for five months and is still ongoing. Students from Greek universities took part in the research and 311 responses were collected. Responses were correspondingly processed and inserted into a database. The questions within the survey were 124 and produced a corresponding amount of variables within the database. The survey has taken place through email. The questionnaire survey managed to collect data regarding participants’ profile and distance education preferences. The findings of the current research indicate that indeed gender influences several preferences regarding distance educational programs and the students experience within an online course. More specifically, a number of highlights of the current findings focus on the learning styles. In this context, male students have a preference for tasks, projects, and situations that involve unfamiliarity, going beyond existing rules or procedures, and maximization of change. They like new challenges and I thrive on ambiguity. Furthermore, male participants have a preference for tasks, projects, and situations that allow working with others in a group or interacting with others at different stages of progress. Male students seem not to enjoy working alone. Finally, both male and female students have preference for tasks, projects, and situations that lend themselves to great flexibility of approaches, and to trying anything when, where, and how they please (work asystematic or even antisystematic). This is an ongoing research initiative and as a result data is being collected on a daily basis and correlations are becoming more clear with the accumulation of responses.

Keywords:

Distance Education, University Students’ Characteristics, Gender, Questionnaire Survey, Distance Learning.