This pilot study explores the perceptions of distance education students of their classroom environment using the College/University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), a traditional classroom assessment tool. The CUCEI has seven scales that cover the areas of personalization, involvement, student cohesiveness, satisfaction, task orientation, and innovation. The scales determine the fit between a student's perception of the actual classroom environment and their preferred environment. Participants were 13 graduate students enrolled in three different courses on instructional technology offered at a distance over the World Wide Web. In addition to the data collected with the CUCEI, qualitative information was also collected in order to assist with interpretation of CUCEI results, including papers and presentations, discussion questions, online lectures, peer discussion and feedback, and student reflective journals and time logs. Results are examined related to the viability of the use of the CUCEI in this context, followed by a discussion of student assessment of their virtual classroom environment. It is concluded that the CUCEI is promising in its ability to assess the virtual classroom environment and provide instructors with valuable information about student perceptions of the environment. (MES)