Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

The purpose of this study is to investigate how hybrid learning instruction affects undergraduate students’ learning outcome, satisfaction and sense of community. The other aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between students’ learning style and learning conditions in mixed online and face-to-face courses. A quasi-experimental design was used and 140 sophomores were recruited in this study. Students’ learning outcomes, satisfaction, sense of community and learning styles were measured. Results showed that students in a hybrid course had significantly higher learning scores and satisfaction than did students of the face-to-face courses. The result also indicated that students of hybrid learning classrooms felt a stronger sense of community than did students in a traditional classroom setting. Analysis of learning style indicated that learning style had significant effect on learning outcome in the study group. Accommodator learners had higher e-learning effectiveness than other style learners. Possible reasons of results were discussed. 
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Most physics professors would agree that the lab experiences students have in introductory physics are central to the learning of the concepts in the course. It is also true that these physics labs require time and money for upkeep, not to mention the hours spent setting up and taking down labs. Virtual physics lab experiences can provide an alternative or supplement to these traditional hands-on labs. However, physics professors may be very hesitant to give up the hands-on labs, which have been such a central part of their courses, for a more cost and time-saving virtual alternative. Thus, it is important to investigate how the learning from these virtual experiences compares to that acquired through a hands-on experience. This study evaluated a comprehensive set of virtual labs for introductory level college physics courses and compared them to a hands-on physics lab experience. Each of the virtual labs contains everything a student needs to conduct a physics laboratory experiment, including: objectives, background theory, 3D simulation, brief video, data collection tools, pre- and postlab questions, and postlab quiz. This research was conducted with 224 students from two large universities and investigated the learning that occurred with students using the virtual labs either in a lab setting or as a supplement to hands-on labs versus a control group of students using the traditional hands-on labs only. Findings from both university settings showed the virtual labs to be as effective as the traditional hands-on physics labs. 
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Considering the significant growth in online and distance learning, the question arises as to how this different delivery method can affect student learning. Specifically, this study compares the student learning outcomes on both a “basic” and “complex” assignment given in the same course, but using two different delivery methods of traditional face-to-face and online, across five undergraduate business courses taught at Elon University during the summer 2007 session. This study includes data from over 120 students and, after controlling for other factors known to affect student performance, the results indicate that delivery method has no significant difference in student learning. 
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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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With the shift in pedagogy from learning in the traditional classroom setting (face-to-face mode) to online learning, it is important to find out how students are faring in the online mode and if equivalence in learning is achieved in the two modes. To answer these questions, the course results of students studying a first year undergraduate mathematics course in the two different modes at The University of the South Pacific were compared. The study revealed that there was no statistical significant difference in the pass rates of the students studying in the two modes but the students studying in the online mode had a significantly higher attrition rate. From the results, it was also discovered that students studying via the online mode achieved higher coursework marks but lower exam marks compared to students studying via the face to-face mode. Yet the students' total marks in the two modes were similar, which led to the conclusion that students studying in the online mode are faring just as well as students studying in the face-to-face mode. It was evident that equivalent learning was occurring in the two modes albeit in different ways. The coursework assessments methods in the two modes were also compared. 
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This study examines the effects of a technology-intensive course design on students' final grades in a criminology program at an upper-division university in the southwest. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses indicated that the presence of a technology-intensive curriculum alone did not significantly improve student performance. However, interaction effects revealed that the technology-based curriculum enhanced student learning for online students compared to those in hybrid and (FTF) courses although students completed fewer technology projects in online sections. These findings reveal barriers to teaching with technology that are not overcome through the use of systematic training for instructors and students. The study further reveals that adult and traditional learners do not significantly differ in learning when exposed to a technology-intensive curriculum or mode of course delivery. 
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The present study was intended to investigate the impact of blended and classroom teaching methods on Iranian EFL learners‘ writing. To this end, a group of 29 upper intermediate and advanced EFL learners were randomly placed in two groups: an experimental group, namely Blended Learning and a control group, namely Classroom Learning after taking part in a placement test. Participants of the Blended Learning group received traditional teaching methods of writing plus learning through the web. Participants of the Classroom Learning group, however, were taught based on the traditional teaching methods of writing and received the materials, instructions, and feedback merely through traditional methods. In order to collect the data, participants‘ first piece of writing was regarded as the pretest and their last one was the posttest. The results of the independent-samples t-tests showed that participants of the Blended Learning group significantly outperformed the ones in the Classroom Learning group in their writing performances. In conclusion, the results of the study revealed that employing a blended teaching method can create a more desirable condition to enhance the EFL learners‘ writing performance and that doing research in this field can be a promising area for those interested. 
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Blended learning model combines different advantages of face to face education and e-learning to ensure an effective learning environment for students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of traditional and blended instruction, in students´ knowledge in a Physical Education in Early Childhood course. For the purpose of this study a knowledge test was created and item analysis and validity and reliability tests were conducted. The course was developed to meet the learning needs of students and the course’s objectives. The curriculum lasted 13 weeks and included for the traditional instruction 12 face to face lectures and for the mixed 7 face to face lectures and 6 on line lectures. The software platform supporting the operation of blended instruction was the course management system E-Class. The study involved 60 students, (35 men, 25 women) aged 19-23 years old (M=20,22, SD=.98). Data analysis indicated that the knowledge test was valid and reliable. Although both groups improved their cognitive learning in this course, the blended learning group was more successful than the traditional on students´ achievement. Based on the findings, blended instruction appears as an alternative teaching practice that should be embraced by educators, in order to assist students to improve their performance. 
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Traditional lecturing has been shown again and again to be a less effective teaching method regarding student engagement and promotion in the sciences. Studies that compare different teaching methods often face limitations because, over time, courses are either substantially changed and/or are taught by different instructors. This article presents a comparison of the success rates of students (percentage of students earning a grade of C or higher) enrolled in a general biology course with laboratory for majors in a community college. The data spans a 6-year period and includes a total of 670 students. The same professor taught all students and used a common final examination. The only difference among the sections taught was the teaching method: lecture, blended, and hybrid. The lecture method involved lecturing with the use of clicker-style questions and laboratory. The blended method was a fusion of the lecture and laboratory. The hybrid method consisted of online lectures with in-class weekly laboratory sessions. On average, the highest success rates for students were observed for those students taught with the blended method, followed next by the hybrid method, and then by the lecture method. 
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Empirical studies have yielded mixed results with regard to the issue of whether the online and traditional modalities have equivalent effects on learning outcomes for courses taught at the Master of Business Administration (MBA) level. A majority of these empirical studies support the conclusion of no significant difference between the modalities. However, only a small percentage of these studies address the issue of self-selection bias, and fewer study the hybrid format. This paper reports on a study that contributes to the existing MBA literature by employing a research design that appropriately handles self-selection bias in the context of a hybrid course. The key finding of the study is that the effect of the online format on learning outcomes does not handicap outcomes relative to the traditional format. 
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