Exploring the Preferred Communication Modes of Students in Online Nonformal Education and Training

The findings of the study suggest that the preferred communication modes of respondents, who engage in online learning, revolve around the one-to-one communication between student and facilitator. A positive relationship between the two seems to be the most important aspect of communication for learners in the online environment. Respondents engaged in several different types of communication technology, ranging from the simplest email through asynchronous learning networks or threaded message boards, to online lectures that provided student/teacher communication and student/student interaction. While all respondents indicated flexibility of time and place was the reason they took online learning, some appeared willing to exchange flexibility of time for a synchronous computer mediated learning experience, when the technology included access to a live lecturer and the ability to communicate in real-time with the lecturer.