Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

Biology I is a required course for many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and is often their first college-level laboratory experience. The replacement of the traditional face-to-face laboratory experience with virtual laboratories could influence students’ content knowledge, motivation to learn biology, and overall course performance. Three hundred undergraduate STEM students in face-to-face or virtual laboratories in a Biology I course completed a laboratory content test and the Biology Motivation Questionnaire II at the beginning and end of the semester. Final course grades were also obtained. Analyses revealed no significant differences between STEM students in the face-to-face and virtual laboratories in learning gains on the content test and final course grades. Two thirds of the STEM students experienced a decline in motivation to learn biology over the semester, but no significant differences were found between the laboratory groups. Thus, virtual laboratories may offer an affordable alternative to resource intensive face-to-face laboratories in large-enrollment Biology I courses. 
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The overall goal of this study was to evaluate student experiences in online laboratory courses in order to inform the design and improvement of lab activities in a distance education program. Students were surveyed about their satisfaction and perceptions of usability and learning in both hands-on (at home) and computer-based simulation (virtual) labs in a variety of natural science courses. We also attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of several online chemistry courses taught with either hands-on kits or virtual laboratory activities, and examined the performance of students concurrently enrolled in lecture and laboratory chemistry courses versus those enrolled in a lecture only courses. The majority of survey respondents felt their online laboratory experience was the same as or better than their prior experiences in the traditional setting. Survey data also show that students believe their laboratory experiences reinforced and improved their understanding of concepts presented in lectures and the textbook, and thus may have helped them perform better on course assessments. Our data on performance suggest that students enrolled in online science courses do as well or better than their peers enrolled in traditional courses. The data also suggest that students who take lecture and laboratory concurrently outperform their lecture-only peers, independent of course (i.e., general or organic chemistry) or delivery method (i.e., online or traditional).

The overall goal of this study was to evaluate student experiences in online laboratory courses in order to inform the design and
improvement of lab activities in a distance education program. Students were surveyed about their satisfaction and perceptions of
usability and learning in both hands-on (at home) and computer-based simulation (virtual) labs in a variety of natural science
courses. We also attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of several online chemistry courses taught with either hands-on kits or
virtual laboratory activities, and examined the performance of students concurrently enrolled in lecture and laboratory chemistry
courses versus those enrolled in a lecture only courses. The majority of survey respondents felt their online laboratory experience
was the same as or better than their prior experiences in the traditional setting. Survey data also show that students believe their
laboratory experiences reinforced and improved their understanding of concepts presented in lectures and the textbook, and thus
may have helped them perform better on course assessments. Our data on performance suggest that students enrolled in online
science courses do as well or better than their peers enrolled in traditional courses. The data also suggest that students who take
lecture and laboratory concurrently outperform their lecture-only peers, independent of course (i.e., general or organic chemistry)
or delivery method (i.e., online or traditional). 
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The present study examines the differential impact of studying in a Flipped Classroom (FC) setting, as compared to a Blended Learning (BL), a Traditional Learning (TL), and an E-Learning (EL) setting on learning performance, self-efficacy beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and perceived flexibility. Participants were second year undergraduate students (N = 90), enrolled in the “Invertebrates” course in Can Tho University (Vietnam). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions (TL n = 22, BL n = 22, FC n = 23, EL n = 23). Two instructional elements - (1) lectures and (2) guiding questions - were presented through two different modes (online and face-to-face). In the blended conditions (BL and FC) the mode of these elements were altered. The results show that learning performance was superior in the FC setting as compared to other learning settings TL (Cohens' d = 1.58), EL (Cohens' d = 1.01) and BL (Cohens' d = 0.71). Students in the BL setting had a higher learning performance as compared to the EL setting. In addition, we observed that studying in a FC setting had a positive effect on self-efficacy beliefs and intrinsic motivation, but not on perceived flexibility. These findings suggest that the FC setting could be a promising way of enhancing students’ learning performance. 
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Purpose: The aim of this study was to measure the effect of an iPad-based asynchronous curriculum on emergency medicine resident performance on the in-training exam (ITE). We hypothesized that the implementation of an asynchronous curriculum (replacing 1hour of weekly didactic time) would result in non-inferior ITE scores compared to the historical scores of residents who had participated in the traditional 5-hour weekly didactic curriculum.
Methods: The study was a retrospective, non-inferiority study. conducted at the University of California, Irvine Emergency Medicine Residency Program. We compared ITE scores from 2012 and 2013, when there were 5 weekly hours of didactic content, with scores from 2014 and 2015, when 1 hour of conference was replaced with asynchronous content. Examination results were compared using a non-inferiority data analysis with a 10% margin of difference.
Results: Using a non-inferiority test with a 95% confidence interval, there was no difference between the 2 groups (before and after implementation of asynchronous learning), as the confidence interval for the change of the ITE was -3.5 to 2.3 points, whereas the 10% non-inferiority margin was 7.8 points.
Conclusion: Replacing 1 hour of didactic conference with asynchronous learning showed no negative impact on resident ITE scores. 
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The benefits promoted by the use of the blended-learning model in higher education have been well studied from a general point of view, but no conclusive results have been achieved so far. However, within the field of engineering, these researches are quite scarce and become even rarer in the case of researches trying to demonstrate whether the benefits of blended learning could be compared to those achieved by classroom education. Learning platforms allow us to incorporate rich learning resources, interactive tools that foster collaborative learning, student to student, student to professor and student-professor-student interactions. Learning platforms also give us the opportunity of incorporating tasks that allow students to check the progress of their own learning processes. This paper presents the results of a research carried out at the School of Technical Architecture of the University of Seville with students enrolled in the Materials Science course. The aim of this investigation was to compare students’ results when trained by means of traditional teaching and blended learning. In order to achieve our goal we followed a quasi-experimental, descriptive and correlational design applied to two non-equivalent groups. The results indicated that in the blended-learning model, the students had more academic success as compared to traditional teaching. 
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This article reports results from a large study comparing four different approaches to teaching Introduction to American Government: (1) traditional, a paper textbook with 100% face-to-face lecture-style teaching; (2) breakout, a paper textbook with 50% face-to-face lecture-style teaching and 50% face-to-face small-group breakout discussion sections moderated by graduate students; (3) blended, an interactive online textbook with face-to-face full-class meetings taught with a blend of lecture, discussions, and in-class activities; and (4) online only, an interactive online textbook with (almost) no face-to-face class meetings. We find that the mode of course delivery is significantly related to student academic engagement and performance as well as civic educational outcomes. Although drop rates were higher in the online only condition, students who successfully completed the online course were significantly more likely to express interest in discussing and participating in politics. Furthermore, students in the online only and blended conditions demonstrated significantly higher levels of objective political knowledge relative to students taking the course in a more traditional format. Finally, students enrolled in sections that assigned the interactive online textbook rated their textbook as significantly more beneficial to their learning experiences than did students who used the traditional paper textbook. 
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This exploratory research compares longitudinal research self-efficacy and retention between a completely asynchronous Master of Social Work (MSW) online cohort and its traditional face-to-face counterpart. This study used a non-equivalent comparison groups design with two groups: online instruction only (n=16) and traditional face-to-face instruction (n=32), with pretest (Time 1), posttest (Time 2) and follow-up (Time 3) standardized measures of practice evaluation knowledge (PEKS) and research self-efficacy (RSES) in a beginning research methods course. Results indicate that students’ knowledge and research self-efficacy improved between pretest and posttest and remained significantly improved at follow-up one year later, with no significant difference between online learners and traditional face-to-face students. Students gain and maintain confidence in research methods and evaluation regardless of the learning platform utilized. 
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In comparing the learning outcomes of online versus face-to-face courses, skills-based forms of instruction have received little attention. This study asks the question “Can skills-based courses taught online achieve the same outcomes as face-to-face courses in which the instructor and students interacting in real time may have higher levels of interaction, thus potentially facilitating higher levels of skill improvement?” If so, what are the critical success factors that influence these outcomes? These questions are examined by comparing four classes in negotiations (two face-to-face and two online) taught by the same professor. The courses were designed to be as similar as possible except for their delivery method. Results indicate that face-to-face learners earned higher negotiation outcomes than online learners even when using the same technology. Suggestions are offered for improving outcomes. 
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Blended, flipped, and semi-flipped instructional approaches were used in various sections of a numerical methods course for undergraduate mechanical engineers. During the spring of 2014, a blended approach was used; in the summer of 2014, a combination of blended and flipped instruction was used to deliver a semi-flipped course; and in the fall of 2014, a fully-flipped approach was taken. Blended instruction aims to integrate technology-driven instruction with face-to-face learning and is often used to enhance the traditional lecture. With "flipped" instruction, students practice skills during class after viewing or/and reading lecture content beforehand. To directly assess these instructional methods, we compared multiple-choice and free response results from identical final exams. We did this for all students as well as demographic segments of interest to our research, including underrepresented minorities and transfer students. We uncovered several differences having medium to large effect sizes, suggesting that some degree of flipped instruction may have been more beneficial than blended learning for both lower and higher-order skills development. The students rated the classroom environment using Fraser's College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI). The three classroom environments were statistically similar with small effect sizes. However, there was a trend in lower ratings for the flipped and semi-flipped classrooms versus the blended classroom across the various environmental dimensions. This may indicate that blended instruction had the most desirable classroom environment. Based on an evaluation survey, only 38% of respondents preferred flipped instruction to usual methods, although 54% preferred active learning to lecture. In an open-ended question, the most frequently-stated benefits of flipped instruction involved enhanced learning or learning processes, and engagement and professional behaviors. These results aligned with our focus group results. This study is believed to be one of the first to compare these three modalities in a STEM course. 
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Purpose: In this article the use of blended learning multimedia materials as an education tool was compared with the traditional approach for skills training.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was conducted in Ireland using a pre-test, post-test experimental design. All students were instructed on how to complete two skills using either a traditional or blended methodology. They were subsequently assessed to determine their ability to perform the practical skills.

Findings: The findings stressed the suitability of blended learning not only when it was found that there was no significant difference between method of teaching and skill acquisition but also when it was revealed that student demographics had no major influence on skill acquisition.

Practical Implications: It can be concluded that blended learning can be used effectively for the instruction of a diverse range of practical skills in agricultural college and benefit in the successful knowledge transfer to a growing and diverse student population with more emphasis placed on the students taking charge of their own learning environment.

Originality/Value: The article demonstrates the value of blended learning as a successful medium for practical skill attainment within the agricultural college environment. 
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