Media Richness Theory and the Distance Education Environment

Abstract

Distance learning is becoming an increasingly popular delivery option for education. Course management platforms (CMP) are the main technological delivery mechanisms for the distance learning courses. CMPs include an abundance of functions by which to communicate and run a distance class. As such, these technologies provide an excellent environment to test the implications of Media Richness Theory (MRT). Based upon a review of “interaction” theories, this paper formulates three conjectures based upon the media richness used in the CMP. The accuracy of these conjectures is tested using a set of data collected from subjects in an established distance education program. The results of this research study show that the richer the distance education environment, the higher the reported satisfaction with the distance course/program, the more reported communication among students/faculty, and the higher the valuation of the course delivery platform by the users.