Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

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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This study examined performance of Master’s-level students in an online course in Cognition, Learning and Assessment and compared it with the performance of students in a face-to-face classroom setting of the same course (N = 70). Data were collected from six sections of the course over a two-year period. The same professor taught all sections. Identical final exams plus two common assignments were used to determine whether there were differences in performance. An analysis of covariance, with graduate record exam scores as the covariate, was applied using each of the dependent variables. Students in the face-to-face class scored significantly higher on two out of the three measures. 
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Studying worked examples and engaging in self-explanation are well-supported strategies for developing self-regulated learning and improving student performance. Our efforts involve a design theory approach to creating a Web-based learning tool that uses the notion of a weekly quiz to draw students into an environment that supports the development of fundamental strategies for improving performance and well-structured problem solving. This manuscript describes a quasi-experimental study to isolate the specific impact of our tool on student learning and motivation. Results are inconclusive about an impact for students only provided with worked examples. The combination of a worked example with a self-explanation prompt produces improvement in performance, problem solving skill, and self-efficacy. 
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This study compared student learning outcomes and student perceptions of and satisfaction with the learning process between two sections of the same class--a web-based section and a traditional face-to-face (f2f) section. Using a quasi-experimental design, students were randomly assigned to the two course sections. Group equivalency was established using an instrument designed to determine learning preferences and both versions of the course were delivered by the same instructor. Student learning outcomes compared student test grades and overall grades (included all assignments). To measure student perceptions of student-teacher interactions as well as satisfaction with the course as a whole, identical, end-of-semester evaluations were completed and compared. Finally, to provide an unbiased measure of student-teacher interaction, a modified interaction analysis instrument based upon the work of N. Flanders was used. Findings revealed that student performance on tests was equivalent; however student final grades were lower in the web-based course due to incomplete assignments. Classroom interaction analysis found differences due to delivery methods. Finally, while all student perceptions of the course and the instructor were above average, the f2f group rated both variables statistically significantly higher. Conclusions suggest that the f2f encounter motivates students to a higher degree and also provides students with another layer of information concerning the instructor that is absent in the web-based course. 
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Blended learning is a hybrid of classroom and online learning that includes some of the conveniences of online courses without the complete loss of face-to-face contact. The present study used a causal-comparative design to examine the relationship of sense of community between traditional classroom, blended, and fully online higher education learning environments. Evidence is provided to suggest that blended courses produce a stronger sense of community among students than either traditional or fully online courses. 
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Few teachers use scholarly literature to improve their professional practice because they do not perceive the connection between research and practice (Kennedy, 1997). Although Kennedy does not suggest why this is occurring, other studies have indicated that students lack the requisite skills to access and retrieve information effectively (Fox & Weston, 1993; Greer, Weston, & Aim, 1991; Maughan, 2001). A s a minimum, graduate education should improve teachers' ability and self-efficacy in library research. In addition, extensive changes in library information systems, combined with a proliferation of field-based courses, have further confounded students' ability to access information effectively. Although many libraries are creating Web-based tutorials to accommodate a growing body of off-campus students, little research has been conducted that compares Web-based and traditional library instruction effectiveness. Therefore, three hypotheses were suggested:
1. Higher levels of library skills self-efficacy would be positively correlated to library skills quiz scores.
2. Both library skills self-efficacy levels and library skills quiz scores would increase after treatment.
3. Library skills self-efficacy levels and library skills quiz scores would not vary significantly across learning environment. 
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The practice of using technology to deliver coursework in higher education has seen a veritable explosion. The use of technology has not only created new opportunities within the traditional classroom but has also served to expand learning experiences beyond the popular notion of “classroom". Indeed, “distance learning" especially utilization of the Internet, is becoming a widely used delivery alternative at universities nationwide. In many instances the change to an Internet-based delivery system has been instituted with little or no consideration of the impact on student learning. This paper presents data from a two semester study of the effects of distance learning on student achievement as well as the impact of distance learning on student attitudes concerning their learning experiences. Students ’ test scores and satisfaction survey results from an Internet-based test group were compared to a control group whose instructional opportunities were from traditional, in-class models. Researchers found no significant difference between the test scores of the two groups. Additionally, while statistically significant data could not be produced in the area of student perceptions, general observations supported that, overall, students in the experimental group had a more positive feeling about their experience than the control group. 
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The purpose of this experimental study was to determine the effects of types of instruction and learning styles in a three-credit hour, technical writing in an agricommunication course on their achievement and attitudes towards writing, learning about writing, computers and the Internet. The two methods of instruction were traditional instruction without a laboratory and World Wide Web instruction with a laboratory. Two applications questions on the midterm examination and the major class project were used to measure students’ achievement. To measure the attitudes of the students, a semantic differential instrument was developed. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was used to determine preferred learning styles. Significant differences were found to exist between type of instruction for both achievement and attitudes. WWW-dependent instruction was significantly higher for group means on achievement. The WWW-dependent class also had a higher mean gain for attitude toward writing. No significant difference was found between learning style groups on achievement and attitudes. There was no significant interaction effect between type of instruction and learning style on achievement or attitudes. 
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