title: Delivery style moderates study habits in an online nutrition class.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report how the design of an online class affected student ability to stay on task, find critical resources, and communicate with the instructor via e-mail.
  
  
  METHODS
  Audiorecorded focus group meetings at a United States university featured a structured approach to discussions among undergraduate students enrolled in an Internet nutrition class. Meeting transcripts were read and reread by a trained investigator, who coded concepts until themes coalesced, which were authenticated by college students taking online classes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes emerged that described factors moderating study habits in an Internet nutrition course: keeping up, e-mail fatigue, and wayfinding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A well-designed online course plans for productive study habits by posting a schedule of events and maintaining a predictable pattern, supporting navigation that stimulates exploration and return visits to critical information, and constructing e-mail messages that convey a concise message and maximize "open and read."
authors.affiliation: Hospitality Management & Tourism, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA. Priscilla.Connors@unt.edu
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Connors
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D020375:Education, Distance / Q000379:methods; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D055815:Young Adult