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As online learning continues to revolutionize the world of education there are a number of important issues that must be examined. Paramount among our concerns should be the question of whether males and females are afforded an equal opportunity to succeed in the online classroom.

In the past there was great concern that the gender gap in technology use would be debilitating for females as they entered college and proceeded into their professional lives. Often discouraged from enrolling in computer classes, or even taking an interest in technology, many young girls were put at a disadvantage from an early age. It seems though, that the gender gap in terms of computer use has slowly been closing and is now nearly non-existent.

A 2000 survey by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute shows that 77.8 percent of women and 79.5 percent of men entering college were frequent computer users. However, if one is to look beyond these numbers it becomes evident that a gender gap of a different sort remains - a gap in computer confidence. The study finds that women are half as likely as men to label themselves as “above average” in comparison with their same age peers. Puzzling is the fact that while the gap in computer use between the sexes is the smallest in the history of the UCLA survey, the gap in computer confidence is the largest to date.

The question then becomes: Does the difference in computer confidence between the sexes translate to performance in e-learning? Our answer may come all the way from New Zealand. In Dominant or Different? Gender Issues in Computer Supported Learning, published in February of 2003, Cathy Gunn surveys undergraduate students at the University of Edinburgh.

In Gunn’s research men and women are found to be almost even in general computer use, though women’s confidence levels are far lower. Females are found to be less confident than males about their aptitude in email and World Wide Web use. Even though females place an equal amount of importance on the role of computers in their education, nearly three times as many women than men were apprehensive about the prospect of online course work. All of these findings may lead one to believe that female students lag behind in online course performance. However, over the ten year span of the study males achieved only slightly higher than females.

If confidence in computer use does not imply difficulty with computer-based learning, then maybe there are more subtle factors that put females at a disadvantage. Factors such as the differences in learning style between the sexes.

Well supported by research is the claim that females prefer to learn in a connected, cooperative environment. Male students are often characterized as more individualistic learners, attempting to dominate the classroom by speaking forcefully and frequently. Blum (1999) discovered that male and female students in their online class discussions display behavior similar to this. Female postings were far more likely to contain questions, personal remarks and phrases such as “thank you.” While it is apparent that many females made an attempt to foster relationships with their online classmates, male students authored more than three-quarters of the messages containing arrogance or controlling language. The data shows that males communicated more in the online discussions and often put an end to a flurry of female postings with a negative or critical response. While Blum’s study uncovers interesting differences between males and females in their online course behavior, it does not shed any light on whether such dynamics have an effect on course performance. Still, it is valuable to know that computer-mediated communication retains many of the same dynamics as the classroom setting.

It is apparent that no matter what the end result in terms of class performance and learning retention, males and females can have a vastly different experience in online learning. It should be just as apparent that the promise of equal opportunity in online learning is not guaranteed. If the same behaviors carry over from the physical classroom to the online classroom then the same gender imbalance may come into play.

The online learning environment must be one that allows the student to learn according to his or her own learning preferences. In order to successfully instruct both males and females and the wide variety of learning styles they present, a thorough online teaching plan is required. There must be emphasis placed on ease of use in order to enable those with little computer confidence to get off on the right foot and succeed in the course. Moderated online discussion is an important feature that will limit the degree to which males can dominate the communication. Lastly, the group aspect of the classroom setting must remain intact as much as possible in order to cater to those who thrive in such an environment.