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Research
and Distance Education
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NCES Profile of Participation in Distance Education: 1999-2000 (continued)
Satisfaction with Distance Education
About one-half
of both undergraduates and graduates reported being equally satisfied
with their distance education courses compared to their regular classroom
courses. Both graduate and undergraduates reported being less satisfied
with distance education courses than reported being more satisfied.
The Third Shift: Women Learning Online (2001)
Student characteristics of distance learning students have been the focus of much distance education research. As the NCES study reported, females constitute a large proportion of distance students. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation reports that women make up the majority of nontraditional online learners over the age of 25.
According to their study, the online education boom is leading to "The Third Shift" for working women. The Third Shift is an extension of the "Second Shift," a term coined by Arlene Hochschild in her 1989 book entitled, The Second Shift. According to Hochschild, many working women face a second shift when they come home from work because women shoulder most of the family and household responsibilities.
The AAUW study contends that working mothers enjoy the flexibility of distance education courses, however, continuing their education online is adding a third shift to their responsibilities as mothers and employees.