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Recruiters' Perceptions of Information Systems Graduates with Traditional and Online Education

1. INTRODUCTION Online learning has experienced strong growth in recent years. Institutions of higher education are continuing to expand their offerings of online courses and degrees, thereby encouraging students to enroll in online courses. A 2011 Sloan survey into online education in the United States reported a growth rate of 10% in enrollments from 2009 to 2010 (Allen and Seaman, 2011), with an estimated number of students taking at least one online course increasing from 5.6 to 6.1 million across 2,500 institutions. Allen and Seaman (2011) also reported that in Fall 2010, online enrollment as a percent of total enrollment reached 31%. While it is difficult to estimate the size of the online education market, Marketdata Enterprises (2011) provide a figure of $60.5 billion in 2010--up 24% over 2009. Given the growing market for online education, clearly an important question is how an online education is regarded within the job marketplace for graduates: how those who have received their education online are viewed among employers and recruiters. Specifically, students completing online programs are interested to know if employment opportunities are available to them the same way they are available to graduates with a traditional education. Additionally, educators are interested to know the attractiveness of online education to prospective employers, as they are interested in the success of their graduates in terms of job placement. Educators are also interested in evaluating, improving, and redesigning the curriculum to prepare graduates that are more qualified. In short, while debate continues as to whether the quality of online instruction is equal to, or can even surpass traditional modes of course delivery (see, e.g., Bernard et al., 2004; Sahin, 2006), an important issue remains as to whether non-traditional forms of education are becoming more accepted within the job marketplace for graduates. To date, there has been little research into the issue of whether students completing their education through nontraditional forms of instruction are perceived within the wider job market as being of equal quality when compared to students completing their studies through a more traditional education mode. An exception to this observation has been two recent studies--Kohlmeyer, Seese and Sincich (2011), and Metrejean and Noland (2011)--that investigated this issue within the accounting profession. Metrejean and Noland (2011) reported results of a survey of CPA (accounting) firm recruiters in which surveyed recruiters did not perceive a difference in a candidate who receives an online MACC (Masters of Accounting degree) and a candidate who receives a MACC from a traditional classroom-based accounting program. In contrast, Kohlmeyer, Seese and Sincich (2011) found a 'strong preference' to hire students who had completed their accounting studies within a traditional face-to-face environment, opposed to students completing their accounting studies online. The most frequently provided reasons by their respondents for having a bias against online accounting degrees were (in order of decreasing frequency): * Lacking interpersonal experiences; * Inferior reputation and quality of online institutions; * Professors really did not know their online students; * Lack of rigor in online classes; and * Lack of familiarity with online instruction (Kohlmeyer, Seese and Sincich, 2011, p.156). In explaining their findings, Kohlmeyer, Seese and Sincich (2011) raised the possibility that their respondents (mainly senior practicing accountants) may have been reacting to the reputation of online programs, rather than the delivery mode of education, and may have lacked exposure to online education. The perception of graduates with an online education is also important to the field of IS. In recent years, less favorable perceptions by students as to employment prospects within information technology-related professions have precipitated a decrease in enrollment within IS programs (Huang, Green and Day, 2008). …