The Effect of Course Delivery Modes on Learning Experience for Students Majoring in an Environmental, Health, and Safety Management Program

The Environmental, Health, and Safety Management (EHSM) program at Northeastern State University (NSU) serves students on two campuses. Traditional students are typically present on the Tahlequah campus while the Broken Arrow satellite campus hosts more non-traditional students. The course delivery modes on the satellite campus have been shifted from evening, blended, VCM (Virtual Class Meeting), and online since 2014 due to students’ demand. This paper therefore evaluates whether these changes affect students’ learning performance. We calculated and plotted mean final exam scores and standard deviations for four courses with different delivery modes over an approximately ten-year period. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for each course to determine whether statistically significant differences exist. The final examination scores for each course do not show systematic trends, suggesting that delivery mode did not significantly affect students’ ability to learn and retain information. The study aims to provide helpful tips to colleagues and administrators who may try to build a flexible learning environment, especially for non-traditional students, without negatively affecting students’ learning experience. In addition, the author’s experience with various course delivery modes may help other colleagues and administrators respond to student demand, program growth, and/or better course scheduling.