Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

Virtual class room is a form of learning using electronic means, primarily e-mail and the internet, as computers have become more capable and less expensive. In virtual class room there is less direct teacher-to-student interaction than normally found in the real class room. In virtual class room teacher’s role is mainly that of facilitator, who motivate the students to accept more individual responsibility to manage time and complete tasks within the given time frame. Still, some students learn less in actual fact using this method via internet. Move ahead, they need explanation from the teacher as they may not be able to comprehend the given information. Therefore, this case study emphasize that virtual class room may not be able to replace real class room in the teaching and learning process. This case study investigates the validity of equivalency theory among 39 students by comparing two teaching and learning methods. Commonalities included same term, same lecturer, and identical assignments/tests in the same order, thus allowing a direct comparison of course outcomes. 
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This paper investigates the performance of students enrolled in traditional versus hybrid Elementary Statistics courses at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). For this study, we collected and analyzed student performance data for the course goals over the spring semester of 2011. GGC is unique as it is an open access undergraduate institution, which has experienced rapid growth since its recent foundation in 2006. This presents a distinct challenge because there is a diverse student population, with various degrees of mathematical knowledge and learning capabilities. Based on the results of our findings, we have discovered that there is no significant difference between the performances of the two groups. 
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Aims: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a blended course (a combined face-to-face and online instruction) on undergraduate oral radiology and evaluate it by comparing its educational effectiveness (derived from students’ performance and answers to questionnaires) to a conventional course’s. Students’ attitudes concerning the blended methodology were also registered.

Methodology: An original course was developed and implemented, and its electronic version was uploaded to an e-learning educational platform. The course was attended by two groups of final-year students, who were taught by either the conventional face-to-face methodology or the blended learning methodology. Students answered a series of questionnaires, before and after following the course, regarding their perceptions, attitudes and evaluation of the course. Additionally, they completed knowledge assessment tests and their grades (before and after the course) were compared. Educational effectiveness of the course was determined by analysing the results of the questionnaires and the tests.

Results: Students in the blended group performed significantly better than their colleagues of the conventional group in the post-course knowledge test, and female students of the blended group performed better than male students. Students evaluated high the course content, organisation, educational material, and the blended group students additionally appreciated the course design and clarity of instructions. Students’ attitudes towards elements of blended learning (effectiveness, motivation and active engagement) were very positive. Most of the blended group students, who attended the face-to-face meeting (approx. 91%), evaluated it as helpful for summarising the subject and clarifying difficult issues.

Conclusions: Blended learning is effective and well evaluated by dental students and can be implemented in undergraduate curriculum for teaching oral radiology. 
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Online coursework is common across the United States, and many institutes of higher education include it in their strategic plans (Allen & Seaman, 2011). Special education has embraced distance education technology—especially personnel preparation programs that are in rural areas and/or prepare teachers who will work in rural areas. Undergraduates are increasingly interested in online courses, but some question whether they have the skill sets to be successful in online coursework. This investigation compares two sections of the same undergraduate special education course (i.e., one section was taught in a traditional setting and the other received archived, asynchronous class sessions online) on attendance, grades on course assignments, quizzes, an exam, and final grade. Discussion of the implications includes findings and how they might relate to rural online programs. The findings showed that online students struggled with deadlines and time management skills more than students that attended classes in traditional settings. 
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Background
Generation Y students have a strong preference for technology that has caused educators to re-evaluate their instructional techniques. Limited published literature exists evaluating the benefits of electronic lecture delivery to students enrolled within nursing degree programs, with no publications to date comparing traditional to blended learning modalities.

Objectives
To retrospectively compare student outcomes, including overall course grade and individual examination scores, between two cohorts of students utilizing two distinctly different methods of lecture delivery, traditional and blended.

Methods
IRB approval was granted to retrospectively compare student outcomes from fifty-two students enrolled within Northeastern University's Master of Science Nurse Practitioner degree program. A total of 23 students were enrolled in the traditional section taught in 2010 and 29 students were enrolled in the blended section taught in 2011. Student's t-test was used to compare studied outcomes between each section. A p-value of = 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results
The students enrolled within blended course scored statistically significantly higher than their counterparts within the traditional course for three of the four studied outcomes, including overall course score.

Conclusions
This study demonstrates that nursing students enrolled within a more technologically advanced course may have improved performance over students enrolled in courses with traditional lecture styles given their generational preferences for learning. 
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Chickering and Gamson’s notable summary of the best practices of undergraduate teaching include promoting active learning, cooperation, and student–faculty contact. The present study hypothesized that online delivery of lecture prior to course meetings allows more in-class time to achieve these goals. Students in a control group received a traditional, oral, lecture-style class with supplementing PowerPoint presentation, whereas students in a treatment group received online presentation of the same lecture script and PowerPoint presentation prior to coming to class; the treatment group’s in-class time was devoted to group activities and discussion of material. Learning and retention were assessed by student performance on a series of multiple-choice tests and quizzes given throughout the semester. Results indicate that students in the treatment condition scored significantly higher on most measures than did students in the control condition. Through strong control of experimental conditions, this study departs from many previous investigations of the benefits of online delivery as an adjunct to seated class time in an introductory social science course, highlighting its advantages such as freeing class time for those activities and strategies deemed to be best practices. The implications of these results and limitations to the study are discussed. 
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This paper will share with the members of the conference the findings from the final study. This study contains five semesters of analyzed data which compares the retention of students, final grades for students, grades for five specific tasks that were given in blended in-class courses and in the totally online courses, and a comparison of data by GPA, gender, and by class level. All courses were American Politics PLSC 111. Each semester one or two American Politics courses were conducted in the classroom and one American Politics distance education course was conducted totally online. Each time the courses were given, it was during the same semester and by the same professor who is the researcher. 
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This study assesses the effects of study mode on student achievement in two modes of study: on-campus learning and online learning. The University of the West of Scotland has been offering flexible postgraduate programmes in Alcohol and Drugs Studies online since 1999 and uses Blackboard, the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), to support equated learning. The explicit focus of this continuing longitudinal study (dating originally from 2002) is on student achievement. In this continuing evaluation comparing on-campus and online student grade performance, online study groups have exactly the same module syllabus as their on-campus counterparts. There is equivalence of support in that students on both modes of study are taught on the same traditional 15-week trimesters as students on the on-campus version, have the same learning materials, live interactive lectures using the VLE as a central hub, and the same assessment methods including assignments, projects, and class tests. Most importantly, the online and on-campus modes of study had the same learning outcomes, the same academic module moderator and also the same external examiner to ensure that assessed work by students on each mode of study was marked to the same standard. Statistical analysis of academic outcomes revealed no significant differences in grades (summative marks) between online and on-campus groups. This finding indicates that students are not disadvantaged by selecting to study via online learning and that equated learning is indeed occurring in practice. 
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This article reports on a study of student outcomes in a pair of matched courses, one taught face-to-face and one taught in a blended format, in which students completed most of the work online but met several times face-to-face. Learning objectives, course content, and pedagogical approaches were identical but the mode of instruction was different. The data suggest academic performance was not influenced by the mode of instruction. Additionally, the data show few differences between the sections in terms of attitudinal outcomes, although students in the blended section reported a lower sense of community. However, one notable outcome was the tendency of students to drop out of the online activities after having a face-to-face session. Lessons for the design of blended courses are discussed. 
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Do students learn as effectively in an online accounting program as they do in a traditional on-campus classroom? This question is becoming increasingly relevant as more working adults opt for the flexibility of taking courses online. The study described in this article is based on data from 61 face-to-face sections and 70 online sections of accounting classes. Although the results show a lower level of achievement in the online sections, an analysis of the used four metrics provides clues to opportunities for making student learning in online accounting classes no less effective than in a traditional classroom environment. 
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