Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

This study aimed to compare the online and face-to-face teaching of a required algebra-based physics course for non-physics majors in large-enrollment course sections. The study design is quasi-experimental; the students self-selected to enroll in either the fully online and asynchronous course or the face-to-face course. In this study, we look at pre- and post-surveys, test grades, and course grades. A total of 116 students from both the face-to-face version (n = 76) and the online version (n = 40) of the course participated in this study. Both courses were taught by the same instructor and covered the same topics using identical homework, quizzes, and tests to ensure comparison fidelity. Findings show that general physics students do equally well in both face-to-face and online versions of the course. However, online students show a higher rate of satisfaction of the course. 
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This article presents results from an evaluation of learning outcomes in a social work skills class between online and in-person students. Students were compared on background and academic factors, including grade point average prior to graduate school, time since completion of undergraduate education, undergraduate degree, and previous work and training in social services. Students also completed a skills self-assessment at the beginning of the class and upon completion. Data used to measure learning outcomes included total points earned and grades. Data were also collected from instructors’ field notes and observations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses, including one way and repeated measure ANOVA. Online students perceived they entered the class with more skills but no differences existed at the post-assessment. Minimal differences existed in students’ scores on major assignments except the bio-psycho-social assessment; in-person students scored higher. Instructors identified rapport building online as challenging. Results suggest parity of online and in-person learning. It is important to continue researching which students do best in--online and in-person coursework--in order to assist students in making the best choices for their learning preferences. 
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Our study compared the performance of students enrolled in a graduate-level introductory biostatistics course in an online versus a traditional in-person learning environment at a school of public health in the United States. We extracted data for students enrolled in the course online and in person from 2013 to 2018. We compared average quiz and final exam scores between students in the two learning environments adjusting for demographic characteristics and prior academic performance using linear mixed models. Data were available for 1461 (83.1%) students learning online and 298 (16.9%) students learning in person. After adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, age, quantitative GRE score, undergraduate GPA, and math refresher score, we found quiz scores for students learning online were about 2.5% lower than those for students learning in person, on average, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 4.9% lower to 0.02% higher. Differential performance was even closer to equality for the final exam where scores for students learning online were about 0.9% higher with a 95% confidence interval ranging from a 3.9% reduction to 5.8% improvement. These estimates suggest comparable student performance can be achieved in a graduate-level introductory biostatistics course among students learning online and in person. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. 
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This study is a comparison of ground-based versus online student performance using a combination of common final examination scores and associated demographic data in a biological science college course taught by a single instructor. Multivariate and standard statistical analyses are used to examine data from five semesters of ground and online instruction. Overall, students in ground course sections scored higher than those in online sections. Demographic comparisons of the pooled student populations from all five semesters show that there was a larger proportion of female than male students in both ground and online sections. Moreover, most students in ground sections were of traditional college age (18 to 24 years old), whereas online, the majority consisted of roughly equal numbers of college-age and post-college age students (older than 24 years old). High school–age students (younger than 18 years old) constituted the minority in both the ground and online sections, with their proportion being smaller in the latter. Regardless of gender and age group, ground students scored higher than online students. Additionally, the course pass rate was greater overall for ground students than for online students; this contrasted with the course withdrawal rate, which was greater for online students. 
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With the significant cost of higher education and the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, college students are increasingly seeking alternatives to traditional, face-to-face learning. However, concerns arise regarding whether condensed, online classes offer a comparable experience to their full-length, face-to-face counterparts. Using a pretest/posttest design, this study compares the achievement of learning outcomes and student satisfaction between a course offered in a full-semester, face-to-face format and the same course taught by the same professor in a condensed, online format. Results indicate that, although online students in the condensed course achieved more of their anticipated learning outcomes, they were less satisfied with their instructor. We offer potential explanations, practical implications, and guidelines. 
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As higher education faces declines in federal funding and enrollment, academic programs are increasingly tasked with examining their recruitment and admissions practices, mode and flexibility of delivery, and student retention. In particular, some programs may encounter pressure to introduce part-time or distance learning options into traditionally full-time, on-campus programs. Concurrently, the field of school psychology suffers from a critical nationwide shortage, which further strengthens the impetus for programs to attract and successfully prepare graduate students in greater numbers. In this article, we examine various metrics of student success from one graduate program that concurrently offered program curriculum in two blended delivery formats. In particular, we examine (a) enrollments; (b) timely remediation; (c) retention and degree completion; and (d) intern performance and post-graduation employment across the two delivery formats. We discuss potential benefits and challenges of distance education in school psychology training and offer recommendations for balancing quality and accessibility in curriculum delivery. 
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This study proposes an innovative blended flipped and online mode for PBL-flipped and PBL-online study, a PBL-blended format of instruction. The study determines whether different pedagogical strategies –PBL-flipped, PBL-online and PBL-blended – influence the validation results for the ARCS model and the PBL learning outcomes. The study population consists of 116 students who use the general education Information and Literacy Ethics digital materials for higher education produced by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that the paths in the ARCS model are all statistically significant for the three methods of instruction and there are no significant differences among the three methods of instruction in terms of class participation and learning scores. However, there is a very noticeable improvement in the PBL learning process in the aspects of reliable leadership and group collaboration learning in blended groups. Self-directed learning is also enhanced and negative learning attitudes are significantly reduced in blended groups. The study demonstrates that the proposed PBL-blended teaching mode is a more efficient and effective way of promoting PBL learning in information literacy courses. 
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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. 
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An undergraduate multicultural psychology class that aimed to promote shifts in the cultural competence domains of self-awareness, knowledge, and skills was offered online and face-to-face. Upon comparison of pre- and post-self-report measures for 155 students across the two modalities, we found significant between-group differences for gender, Wilks’ λ = .821, F(6, 146) = 5.291, p < .001, η²_p = .179, with women reflecting more favorable scores than men. Within groups, we found a main effect for time, Wilks’ λ = .726, F(6, 146) = 9.203, p <.001, η²_p = .274 —specifically, more favorable scores at Time 2 compared to Time 1 in ethnocultural empathy, color-blind racial attitudes, and multicultural experiences. Notably, the main effect for modality was statistically nonsignificant, Wilks’ λ =.988, F(6, 146) = 0.291, p = .940, η²_p = .012, reflecting similar general gains across modalities. However, a significant time by modality interaction within groups, Wilks’ λ = .888, F(6, 146) = 3.063, p = .007, η²_p = .112, suggested that in-person students had more favorable movement than online students between Time 1 and Time 2 on specific measures of ethnocultural empathy and color-blind racial attitudes. Results show that shifts in multicultural domains can be possible through mirroring gold standard courses in multicultural psychology regardless of the teaching modality. Results appear to be somewhat attenuated for online compared to in-person students. Recommendations for changes in teaching strategies and further evaluation are discussed. 
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