The Effectiveness of Extension In-Service Training by Distance: Perception Versus Reality

The study reported here investigated the perceptions of Extension personnel towards Internet-based instruction delivered in two different formats: a minimally interactive online environment and a multimedia-rich, highly interactive online environment. A traditionally face-to-face environment was also studied, and posttest scores were evaluated to investigate the achievement differences between the different learning formats. Results indicate that while the traditional face-to-face instructional environment was perceived more favorably than the Internet-based environment, the multimedia-rich, highly interactive online environment was found to return just as statistically significant posttest results as those found in the more traditional learning environment.