There is a need for research into understanding students' learning barriers and cognitive style of learning before they embark on an online PhD program. Online university students in the School of Education express success and difficulties electronically as they navigate through a spectrum of courses, Learning Agreements, Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) and a dissertation. To better understand how the online student learns, Cleeton's "Research Barrier Questionnaire" and Riding's "Cognitive Styles Analysis" were administered to online students in their first online course at an online university. Results obtained might by useful in the construction of a curriculum model to integrate faculty-student perception and reality of best practices in teaching an "Introductory Course" at an online university from the perspective of the online student. This model would be descriptive, diagnostic and prescriptive. Advice in terms of online support may then be given to students and faculty, to smooth the passage of online learning and increase its penetration rates. (Contains 2 tables.)