Performance of distance learning students in a small business management course

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to compare the performance of distance-learning students in a Small Business Management (SBM) course with that of internal (on-campus) students, and to examine students' demographics and information processing systems for their moderating effects on performance of each student group. Design/methodology/approach: MANOVA were used to investigate differences between the two student groups on performance and information processing, and chi-square tests employed for differences in demographics. Associations among the three variables were examined by Pearson correlation analyses. Findings: The paper finds that distance-learning students performed as well as internal students on the multiple learning objectives for the course in spite of the impediments associated with distance-learning. Work experience and rational information processing were positively associated with performance for distance-learning students but not internal students. Research limitations/implications: The findings in this paper cannot be generalised due the unique characteristics of the SBM course investigated and the absence of objective data on the amount of time each student devoted to studying the course. Practical implications: The paper shows that online interactions between the two student groups should motivate distant students to increase their performance. Internal students would gain by learning from the work experiences of distant students. Originality/value: The paper found a positive association between age and student performance and argued that maturity is beneficial to the learning process.