This paper reports the findings of a study conducted on a foreign language course at a large mid-west university in the USA. In the study a web-based tool which supports both linear and non-linear learning environments was designed and developed for this course. The aim of this study was to find out students' preferences pertaining to the learning environment and to address the factors affecting their preferences. The results of this study showed that the individual characteristics of the students affected their preferences on the learning path (linear or non-linear). (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)