Judith Pena-Shaff and Hugh Stephenson from the Psychology Department at Ithaca College, with William Altman, published an article related to students' perceptions and expectations about online learning. It appeared in the most recent issue of the Journal of Interactive Learning Research.
The article focuses on students' attitudes, perceptions, and expectations about the use of asynchronous discussions (such as the discussion board found in WebCT) as a tool to facilitate communication and learning. While the authors found that students' attitutes and expectations about using computers for class purposes and online learning were not significantly correlated with their participation levels, the results revealed significant correlations between students' pre-course attitudes, expectations about the assignment, and expected learning. For more information or a copy of the article e-mail jpenaper@ithaca.edu.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20060119081336516