Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

Objective: To describe and evaluate the transition of a pharmacy residency and fellowship (PRF) elective course to a hybrid online platform. Innovation: In 2016, the 1-credit hour PRF elective was transitioned from a live, synchronous course to a hybrid online platform. Over the course of the semester, students completed eight modules along with assignments that pertained to a different component of PRF. Course grades and evaluations, as well as PRF placement rates, were compared between 2015 (live, synchronous course) and 2016 (hybrid online course). There were no differences in overall course grades or student evaluations of individual relevant course objectives between the two course formats. However, more students rated the course as excellent during the 2015 live, synchronous course. Placement rates were similar between students who took the course in 2015 and 2016. Critical Analysis: Following the transition of a PRF elective to a hybrid online platform, course grades, evaluation of individual relevant course objectives, and PRF placement rates remained similar to previous years. Creative educational venues can help meet the student demand while simultaneously allowing faculty to manage their time. However, instructors should balance this with desire of students to have more face-to-face in class time. 
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This paper examines the effectiveness of adding an online component to the general chemistry laboratory in which students view prelaboratory instructional materials through online videos prior to completing general chemistry laboratory activities. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared the performance of 1089 general chemistry students who viewed online prelaboratory videos for two laboratory activities and attended face-to-face prelaboratory lectures for two additional laboratory activities. Students were assessed on their understanding of the rationale for specific laboratory procedures, their efficiency at completing each activity in the allotted time, and their help-seeking behavior during laboratory sessions. Students were more efficient and demonstrated a greater understanding of the rationale for procedures for the two laboratory activities that used online prelaboratory videos than those that used prelaboratory lectures. No differences were observed in help-seeking behavior between the two conditions. These results suggest that online prelecture videos have significant potential for improving student learning in the general chemistry laboratory and for reducing demand on institutional resources for associated courses. 
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Objective:
We describe a change in teaching method from extended face-to-face instruction to a blended classroom environment in a research methods course and compare student scores following a change in assessment from mid-term examination to weekly quizzes.
Methods:
The course traditionally had been taught using a weekly 2-hour lecture for each academic term. A change in teaching methods was designed to include 20 minutes of lecture followed by 30 minutes of topic-specific in-class group discussions. The students then continued group work for an additional hour at an alternative location of their choice, such as the library, cafe ´, student study areas, or at home. Student homework/reading assignments were given as topics for weekly group discussions. In addition, the midterm examinations were replaced with weekly quizzes. Using t-test and analysis of variance, scores for four student cohorts in two successive academic terms were compared using identical multiple-choice questions from the midterms and quizzes for two topics. Student verbal feedback was elicited at the end of each term.
Results:
Quiz scores showed significant improvement over midterm scores for the more challenging statistics multiple-choice questions (t[371]=-2.21, p=.03, d=0.23) with no significant improvement in multiple-choice questions about the safety of human subjects (t[374]=-.401, p=.69, d=0.04). Student verbal feedback indicated higher satisfaction with the blended classroom and experiential learning style.
Conclusion:
Assessment using quizzes in an early and often format, instead of a midterm examination, was associated with higher scores on identical questions. Students preferred the blended classroom environment with experiential learning exercises and weekly quizzes. 
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The purpose of this study was to conduct a three-way comparison of face-to-face, online, and blended teaching modalities in an undergraduate Child Development course to determine if there were differences in student academic outcomes and course satisfaction across modalities. Student academic outcomes were measured by three examinations, one research paper assignment, and the overall course total grade. Course satisfaction was measured by administering the Student Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) across the three teaching modalities and the Constructivist On-Line Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) to online and blended modalities. Results indicated that students performed equally well on all three examinations, research paper, and the overall course total grade across three teaching modalities, allaying traditional reservations about online and blended teaching efficacy. The SOQ and COLLES analysis found students from the three modalities were equally satisfied with their learning experiences. A Two-Factor Model identifying Face-to-Face Interaction and Learn on Demand (Flexibility) as factors determining student academic outcomes was proposed. Implications, limitations, and future research direction were discussed. 
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Combining elements of online and face-to-face education, blended learning is emerging as an important teaching and learning model in higher education. In order to examine the effectiveness of blended learning, as compared to the traditional face-to-face learning mode, this research investigated the learning outcomes of students following English as a Second Language (ESL) course under the two learning modes in a comprehensive university in Beijing, China. A large database was analyzed including student variables (gender, grade and knowledge domain), the different learning modes, and student performance in this study (N=5376). The results show that students following blended learning had better academic achievements in their ESL courses compared to students following the traditional face-to-face learning mode. Student factors (gender, grade, knowledge domain and pre-test) were taken as covariates in order to assess the differences of student performance (dependent variable) in blended learning and traditional F2F learning. 
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Using a quasi-experimental mixed methods concurrent design, this study measured the science self-efficacy of pre-service elementary teachers before and after a survey of science content course. Further, this course was delivered in two different formats: face-to-face and hybrid (approximately 50% online), and compared pre-and post-science self-efficacy of students in the two different course formats. Our quantitative results showed increases in personal efficacy, but not outcome expectancy for both formats, and no significant differences between the increases for either format. Our qualitative data showed that participants attributed their increased levels of personal efficacy to the hands-on components of the course, as well as perceived teacher attitudes toward science, both of which would be challenging to replicate in a purely online format, as opposed to the hybrid format included in this study. 
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The study investigated the impact of blended e-learning on pre-service teachers’ achievement in Mathematics. The sample consists of 280 level I pre-service teachers in school of sciences of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri. The quasi-experimental research design adopting the pre-test, post-test non-equivalent type was used in carrying out the study. A researcher made objective test questions titled “Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT)” was used for data collection. It had reliability coefficient of 0.83 determined using Kuder-Richardson (KR20) formula. The control group was taught mathematics using the traditional method while the experimental group was taught using blended e-learning method (traditional and e-learning). The data generated were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while ANCOVA was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study revealed that blended e-learning is an effective method of teaching mathematics among pre-service teachers. Based on the result it was recommended that blended e-learning method should be applied in teaching Mathematics education of pre-service teachers. 
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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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