For this reason, we asked survey respondents about their access to computers, both at home and at work. People under age fifty are most likely to have computers at home and work. Given their relatively good access to computers, they may be one of the prime audiences for distance education. Not surprisingly, people with more education have greater access to computers, both at home and at work. Of course, having access to a computer is only one small part of using distance education strategies.
Many people still prefer the traditional classroom setting.
We asked people who plan to take a college course for credit in the next three years whether they'd prefer that such a course be taught in an on-campus classroom with an instructor present or one taught through television or videotapes in their own home. The majority prefers the classroom, but a surprising 29 percent of respondents prefer the latter method. People who prefer classes using video or TV are older, less educated, and less likely to have had education or training in the last three years. They are also less likely to have a computer at home. In contrast, those with more educational experience and familiarity with information technologies have an expectation of how education ought to be delivered based on their past experiences.