Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

Purpose: The purpose of this study was compare the effectiveness of a traditional face to face class format and hybrid class format (partially online instruction) on learning outcomes in exercise physiology.

Methods: Fifty five undergraduate students who were enrolled in one of two sections of Exercise Physiology at a University in the northeastern United States participated in the study. Participants were upper level students majoring in athletic training, exercise science, or physical education. The traditional section (n = 27) met twice a week for a total of 150 min of lecture and 50 min of laboratory activities. The hybrid section (n = 28) met once per week for a 75-min lecture and 50-min laboratory. For the hybrid section, the remaining 75-min lecture was replaced with a link to an online lesson that incorporated class notes, illustrations, physiology animations, and interactive activities. Students accumulated points throughout the lesson to serve as a record that they completed the assigned content. Measures of student learning included scores on three written exams and the overall semester average. Additionally, a questionnaire with a series of Likert-scale items was administered at the end of the semester to evaluate student perceptions of delivery mode. Procedures for obtaining informed consent at the beginning of the semester and collecting data were approved by the University Institutional Review Board. The comparison of exam and semester grades was accomplished through an independent t test. Perceptions of course delivery were evaluated with a 2x2 Chi Square analysis. A level of p< 0.05 was used as the criteria for statistical significance.

Results: There were no significant differences between groups with respect to Exam 1 (traditional 81.33 + 9.32%, hybrid 81.14 + 10.89%), Exam 2 (traditional 77.96 + 10.70%, hybrid 78.77 + 10.61%), Exam 3 (traditional 82.54 + 8.18%, hybrid 80.82 + 8.53%), and Semester Average (traditional 83.92 + 6.64%, hybrid 82.55 + 8.63%). Perceptions of content delivery with respect to the learning experience, feedback, clarification of concepts, and level of engagement were also similar between sections (X2 > 0.05).

Conclusion: Both traditional and hybrid modes of delivery were equally effective in promoting mastery of exercise physiology content. 
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Hybrid courses allow students additional exposure to course content that is not possible in a traditional classroom environment. This exposure may lead to an improvement in academic performance. In this report, I describe the transition of a large undergraduate exercise physiology course from a traditional lecture format to a hybrid lecture-online format. A total of 658 final grades (traditional = 346, hybrid = 312) was used to evaluate the effect of course format on academic performance. The hybrid online portion was delivered using WebCT Vista, enhanced with various instructional technologies. The hybrid lecture portion was enhanced with an in-class response system. PowerPoint files were used to distribute in-class lectures in both formats of the course. Final student grades were 9.9% higher (83% of the increase due to an increase in the exam grade) when the course was administered in a hybrid format (P = 0.01), which translated to a one letter grade increase on a standard grading scale. Transition from a traditional lecture format to a hybrid format significantly enhanced student learning; presumably, this increase is due to the fact that students were able to increase their exposure to course content via access to material on WebCT. 
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