A Q Methodological study on perceptions of what would enhance distance education

The purpose of this study is to inform the improvement of distance education by enhancing our understandings of the views held by graduate students and faculty who use distance education to study or to teach. Q Methodology provides us with a powerful and proven method for obtaining the perceptions that will enable us to examine their views. In the process of the Q sorting the participants then rank the collected perceptions on a scale that ranges from highly important to less importance. The ranking is followed by a factorial analysis to identify areas of agreement in the form of Factors arising from the sorts. The procedure to accomplish this begins with a brainstorming session (the concourse) to gain their perceptions on distance education, expressed as statements and then through the sorting process those statements are ranked by the individual participants. The students/faculty will receive an email request to voluntarily participate. This request includes a list of perceptions expressed as statements, instructions and the sorting grid. The following paper will explain the methodology in greater detail and review the results from the study in the context of improving the experience of distance education for both faculty and students.