The idea that people approach learning in different ways is certainly not a new concept. As Diaz and Cartnal point out, it probably had its origin with the ancient Greeks. Recently, however, many educators have focused on the variety of student learning preferences in an attempt to tailor instruction to meet those needs. The authors propose that students’ performance in distance education classes may be related to their learning preferences or styles, and success in such classes may depend on understanding the learning styles of the students who enroll.

The population for the study included health education students in a community college in California. The distance education sample included students in two sections of health education offered in an online format. The online distance students were taught according to the same course outline, used the same textbook, covered the same lecture material, and took the same tests as the on-campus students. The main differences between on-campus and online groups were the delivery mode for the lectures, the mode of teacher-student communication, and the mode for the assignments.

The conclusions of this study indicate the following:

• Students who were more independent in their learning styles tended to be less collaborative.
• Students who were more collaborative were more dependent and participatory in their approach to learning.
• On-campus students who were collaborative tended to be competitive.
• Students who tended to compete were more willing to do what the teacher wanted them to do.
• Distance students favored independent learning styles and may be inherently well-suited for this type of instruction.
• Students in the on-campus class were significantly more dependent learners and preferred structure and guidance.
• Teaching strategies in distance classes should emphasize more independent and fewer dependent learning activities.
• Designing activities that strengthen less-preferred learning styles should be encouraged in both distance and on-campus classes.

The authors also indicate that one of the distinguishing features of most distance education classes is the absence of face-to-face social interaction between students and teacher. They suggest that instructors utilize a learning style inventory (such as Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory) to address the impact this might have on students and then to encourage a variety of interactions available through technology. In addition, distance learning instructors should use such social learning style inventories to assist in class preparation, designing class delivery methods, and developing sensitivity to differing student learning preferences.

The findings in this article are comparable to research findings in other articles that I have read concerning this topic. I do think that more "dependent" students who enroll in distance learning classes can learn the skills that will help them to stretch their learning preferences. Success in a distance learning class requires the assimilation of certain skills that can definitely be learned and should be taught when the need arises. Perhaps if such skills are initially taught to "reluctant" distance learners, they, too, can become more self-directed. In any course, "learning how to learn" the material enhances student confidence and success. The use of learning style inventories can facilitate the instructor’s delivery of pertinent skill-related as well as content information. I would be interested in discussing the strategies that Dr. Bryan uses in ADE 6381 to motivate and stretch the learners in our class. If different students require and/or respond to different instructional techniques, how are those techniques different in online as opposed to on-campus (same material, same instructor) classes? What strategies has Dr. Bryan developed to meet the difference in delivery systems? Since distance learning appears to be here to stay, answers to such questions will benefit both learners and instructors alike.