scholarly journals A Large Sample Comparison of Grade Based Student Learning Outcomes in Online vs. Face-to-Face Courses

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Cavanaugh ◽  
Stephen J Jacquemin
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Course Format

Comparisons of grade based learning outcomes between online and face-to-face course formats have become essential because the number of online courses, online programs and institutional student enrollments have seen rapid growth in recent years. Overall, online education is largely viewed by education professionals as being equivalent to instruction conducted face-to-face. However, the research investigating student performance in online versus face-to-face courses has been mixed and is often hampered by small samples or a lack of demographic and academic controls. This study utilizes a dataset that includes over 5,000 courses taught by over 100 faculty members over a period of ten academic terms at a large, public, four-year university. The unique scale of the dataset facilitates macro level understanding of course formats at an institutional level. Multiple regression was used to account for student demographic and academic corollaries—factors known to bias course format selection and grade based outcomes—to generate a robust test for differences in grade based learning outcomes that could be attributed to course format. The final model identified a statistical difference between course formats that translated into a negligible difference of less than 0.07 GPA points on a 4 point scale. The primary influence on individual course grades was student GPA. Interestingly, a model based interaction between course type and student GPA indicated a cumulative effect whereby students with higher GPAs will perform even better in online courses (or alternatively, struggling students perform worse when taking courses in an online format compared to a face-to-face format). These results indicate that, given the large scale university level, multi course, and student framework of the current study, there is little to no difference in grade based student performance between instructional modes for courses where both modes are applicable.

scholarly journals Grit in Online Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Nicole Buzzetto-Hollywood ◽  
Kathy Quinn ◽  
Wendy Wang ◽  
Austin Hill
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
P Value ◽  
Learning Success ◽  
Promising Area ◽  
Learning Efficacy

Aim: This study sought to explore the role of the elusive non-cognitive skill set known as grit, or the resolve and determination to achieve goals regardless of impediments, on student success in online education. It represents an area of exploration where there is a dearth in the available literature and reports the results of a study conducted at a Mid-Atlantic minority-serving university that examined the relationship between grit and student performance in fully online courses. Methodology: Students were administered the standard 12-Question Grit Scale with the addition of a series of validated questions that sought to measure perceived self-learning efficacy. Additionally, student performances in online courses were recorded and correlations conducted. Basic statistical analyses such as mean, mode, standard deviation, variance, and confidence interval were calculated. Two hypotheses were introduced as part of this study and tested with Anovas and crosstabulations. Results: This study found that higher grit scores correlated progressively to both self-discipline and self-efficacy but that a positive relationship to student achievement in fully online courses as measured with a p value of greater than .05 could not be confirmed. Conclusion: As online education continues to grow, providing opportunities to foster and strengthen student success in online courses and programs is increasingly important. E-learning success requires that students exhibit strong self-regulation, self-discipline, resilience, dutifulness, conscientiousness, and low impulsivity all of which are attributes of grit. As such, grit is presented as a promising area of exploration for increasing student achievement in online education.

Massive Online Open Course Assisted Mechatronics Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 245-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Xing
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Modalities ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Massive Online Open Course ◽  
Face To Face Learning

Massive open online courses (MOOCs), also known as kind of free and accessible online education environment, have been deeply appeals to people and broadly covered in different medium. Nowadays, it seems MOOCs are everywhere. Originally, MOOCs are designed to offer learning content to the participants who do not have an adequate educational infrastructure, or where cost has become a barrier to educational access. However, as the MOOCs become more popular, an important question need to be asked: how do traditional face-to-face learning students benefit from MOOC environments as well? This chapter introduces MOOCs as an assistant platform to rebuild the course structure in order to tie education more closely to work. The major advantage of this hybrid teaching and learning model is that it is flexible as it allows students to work through materials at their own pace and at a time that is most convenient to them. Although the successful integration of such different teaching and learning modalities is a big challenge, the presented case study and the preliminary experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid methodology.

Contextualizing Social Presence and Learner Identity Through the Lens of Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Michael Marmon
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Transactional Distance ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Learner Identity ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Course Delivery Methods

Online education has become a ubiquitous and convenient method by which to complete courses at institutions of higher education across the globe. To achieve this level of parity between course delivery methods (online or face-to-face), the instructor or course designer must understand the complex relationship between the technology and instructional design theories being leveraged in these contexts. Within the context of this chapter, these barriers manifest themselves within Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance, a theory which states that the transactional distance between stakeholders (whether it is instructor-learner or learner-learner communication) has the potential to obstruct the path for comprehending the information being presented as well as influencing the level of rapport between students. This chapter examines the obstacles that are present because of Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance and the influence that social presence has on learners in online courses from the perspective of student satisfaction and positive learning outcomes.

scholarly journals A review of predictive factors of student success in and satisfaction with online learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Kauffman
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Learner Characteristics ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Negative Perceptions

Students perceive online courses differently than traditional courses. Negative perceptions can lead to unfavourable learning outcomes including decreased motivation and persistence. Throughout this review, a broad range of factors that affect performance and satisfaction within the online learning environment for adult learners will be examined including learning outcomes, instructional design and learner characteristics, followed by suggestions for further research, and concluding with implications for online learning pertinent to administrators, instructors, course designers and students. Online learning may not be appropriate for every student. Identifying particular characteristics that contribute to online success versus failure may aid in predicting possible learning outcomes and save students from enrolling in online courses if this type of learning environment is not appropriate for them. Furthermore, knowing these learner attributes may assist faculty in designing quality online courses to meet students’ needs. Adequate instructional methods, support, course structure and design can facilitate student performance and satisfaction.Keywords: online learning; learner characteristics; instructional design; online learning outcomes(Published: 27 August 2015)Responsible Editor: Meg O’Reilly, Southern Cross University, AustraliaCitation: Research in Learning Technology 2015, 23: 26507 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v23.26507

scholarly journals PSIV-B-32 Late-Breaking: Consistency of industry related terminology utilized in assessment questions across instructors of an introductory animal science course

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 324-325
Author(s):  
Kirstin M Burnett ◽  
Leslie Frenzel ◽  
Wesley S Ramsey ◽  
Kathrin Dunlap
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
Animal Science ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Assessment Questions

Abstract The consistency of instruction between various sections of introductory courses is a concern in higher education, along with properly preparing students to enter careers in industry. The study was conducted at Texas A&M University, using an introductory course, General Animal Science, within the Department of Animal Science. This course was chosen due to the utilization of specific animal science industry related terminology within the course content in support of learning outcomes. The study was a quantitative nonexperimental research method that was conducted over a single semester in 2018. General Animal Science is a large-scale course that contains multiple sections, and this study evaluated assessments created by individual faculty members who instructed different sections, Section A and Section B. These sections were selected as they were composed of both animal science majors and non-majors. Section A had a significantly higher (P < 0.001) number of majors versus non-majors than Section B. Assessment questions were collected from all examinations and quizzes distributed throughout the semester and were compiled into a single document for coding. These specific terms were chosen from literature to provide a benchmark for a potential relationship between student performance on questions containing industry related terminology as opposed to those that do not. Comparing the use of specific industry coded terminology in assessment questions yielded no significant difference (P < 0.05) between the two instructors or sections. These findings demonstrate consistent use of benchmarked industry related terminology in assessment questions across multiple sections, irrespective of individual instructor or student major. This provides a necessary foundation for future analysis of student performance.

scholarly journals Online education platforms scale college STEM instruction with equivalent learning outcomes at lower cost

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (15) ◽  
pp. eaay5324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Chirikov ◽  
Tatiana Semenova ◽  
Natalia Maloshonok ◽  
Eric Bettinger ◽  
René F. Kizilcec
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Blended Instruction ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
Stem Instruction ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Education Platform

Meeting global demand for growing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce requires solutions for the shortage of qualified instructors. We propose and evaluate a model for scaling up affordable access to effective STEM education through national online education platforms. These platforms allow resource-constrained higher education institutions to adopt online courses produced by the country’s top universities and departments. A multisite randomized controlled trial tested this model with fully online and blended instruction modalities in Russia’s online education platform. We find that online and blended instruction produce similar student learning outcomes as traditional in-person instruction at substantially lower costs. Adopting this model at scale reduces faculty compensation costs that can fund increases in STEM enrollment.

Investigating different options in course delivery – traditional vs online: is there another option?

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 230-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Hass ◽  
Mathew Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Traditional Courses ◽  
Southwest Region ◽  
Southwest Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ perceptions of online vs traditional (face-to-face) course offerings at the business school of a liberal arts university in southwest USA. The research compares perceptions of students who have been subjected to online education along with those who have not been exposed to online education and examines likelihood to take online courses. Design/methodology/approach Paper and pencil surveys were distributed in different classes in business classes at a university in southwest USA. The target group was undergraduate students. Findings The results indicate that overall, students have neutral perceptions about online courses, while favorable perceptions are strongly associated with likelihood to take online courses. Moreover, prior exposure with online courses is not a significant factor in forming favorable perceptions about online courses. Research limitations/implications The present research is limited in generalizability and the institution surveyed in the southwest region is new to online courses offering in their curriculum and not all the participants had prior experience with online courses. Originality/value Although this paper compares online education with traditional, another option for methods of education include hybrid models incorporating both. A possible third option not discussed through this research is a hybrid or blended learning course, a combination of both online and traditional courses. This opens the options for the student, as hybrid courses can be built with many different options. One includes using technology for “screencasts” or lectures online.

Demographic, Attitude, and Personality Differences Reported by Students Enrolled in Online versus Traditional Courses

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Jenkins ◽  
Elizabeth Downs
Keyword(s):  
Online Courses ◽  
Personality Factor ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Sixteen Personality Factor ◽  
Traditional Courses ◽  
Personality Factor Questionnaire ◽  
Course Format

This study investigated demographic, personality, and attitude differences between students enrolled in online courses and students enrolled in traditional, lecture courses. Subjects were 120 education majors enrolled in required Master's of Education core courses. Students enrolled in either online ( n = 51) or traditional course format ( n = 69) during summer and fall semesters 2001. The two groups of students were compared on an author-designed questionnaire assessing students' demographic characteristics and attitudes toward both online and traditional instruction and the Cattell Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. Analysis indicated high demographic and interpersonal similarity between students enrolled in online course formats and students enrolled in traditional, face-to-face course formats. Significant differences in attitude were found between the two groups; online courses were rated higher by online students but viewed with considerable ambivalence by students enrolled in traditional section courses.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORK ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE: A WEB-BASED FORUM STUDY IN TAIWAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng-Li Yang
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Management Information Systems ◽  
Friendship Network ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Adversarial Network ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Almost All

This research investigates the effects of social networks on students’ performance in online education which uses networking as an adjunct mode for enhancing traditional face-to-face education or distance education. Using data from a 40-student course on Advanced Management Information Systems (AMIS), we empirically tested how social networks (friendly, advising, and adversarial) related to students’ performance. First, advising network variables are positively related to student performance both in the class and on the forum. Adversarial variables are negatively correlated with almost all students’performance. Second, advising and adversarial network variables are good determinants for overall academic performance; however, adversarial network variables are not influential on students’ performance on the forum. Friendship network variables are not determinants of students’ performance. Implications for the results are also discussed.

scholarly journals Improving Learning in a Traditional, Large-Scale Science Module with a Simple And Efficient Learning Design

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-159
Author(s):  
Mikkel Godsk
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Activities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article presents the experiences and results of using a simple learning design for transforming a traditional, large-scale, face-to-face science module in calculus into blended learning where all face-to-face lectures were replaced by webcasts and online activities. The article presents the impact on teaching and learning in terms of how the teacher and the students used the materials and the impact on the students’ performance and satisfaction. The article concludes that replacing face-to-face lectures with webcasts and online activities has the potential to improve learning in terms of a better student performance, higher student satisfaction, and a higher degree of flexibility for the students. In addition, the article discusses implications of using learning design for educational development, how learning design may help breaking with the perception that facilitating blended learning is a daunting process, and, ultimately, its potential for addressing some of the grand challenges in science education and the political agenda of today

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