YORK STUDENTS who take Internet courses do as well as or better than students who sit in class, a recent University survey revealed. Canadian students seem to like it too. Canada accounts for 16 per cent of 12,500 online courses offered by postsecondary institutions worldwide.

But there is concern about what cyber-courses offer in terms of quality of content, which is why York's Faculty of Education decided to conduct its own survey. York compared the overall academic performance of its Internet students with its in-class students and found little difference.

According to the survey, "Internet students achieved significantly higher grades than in-class students" (adjusted for course dropouts). The survey compared the grades of 1,099 students in Internet courses held between the fall of 1996 and fall 1998 with grades of students in the same courses offered in the lecture-hall format or by correspondence.

Correspondence students, who have the least contact with professors, fared the worst. Internet students achieved the highest marks.

The survey showed 73 per cent of Internet students surveyed said they would recommend the format to their friends, and 68 per cent planned to take further Internet courses.

Fees for regular in-class courses are the same as for Internet courses, and professors are paid the same rate for teaching whether online or in class.

Class Illustration: Celia Calle