Eastern Oregon University offers a bachelor’s degree in Physical Activity and Health completely through distance education. The concentrations that are available through distance education are Physical Education & Sport and Health & Wellness Studies. While most of the students in the distance education classes reside outside La Grande, many on-campus students elect to take some distance education classes in pursuit of their degree. Consequently, the faculty in the Division of Physical Activity and Health have observed poorer class performance by on-campus students compared to both their performance in face-to-face classes and the performance of veritable distance education students. Reasons for the disparity were discussed in the Fall 2006 on-campus PES 131 class with the following noted:

• Often the online classes do not have regular deadlines for assignments, thus allowing for procrastination and being overwhelmed at the end of the term (T. Millsap, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• Instructors are more willing to give extra credit points in face-to-face classes (J. Geiger, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• Teachers provide added content (beyond Powerpoint slides, etc) in the face-to-face lectures and the nonverbal communication contributed to enhancing learning (J. Geiger, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• Getting into a rhythm is more difficult in asynchronous classes. Regularly scheduled classes promote a stable routine throughout the term (Z. Heath, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• On campus, students are able to easily communicate with peers for help with assignments and class expectations (J. Geiger, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• Sometimes discussion boards are ghost towns. Lack of participation by classmates limits the learning experience (T. Millsap, personal communication, November 13, 2006).
• Teachers are much slower to respond to student questions and provide less attention to distance education students (Z. Heath, personal communication, November 13, 2006).