Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

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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The purpose of the research was to compare student performance in an online or face-to-face (F2F) required Psychology course on three distinct sets of variables (i.e., pre-course, course, and post-course variables). Analyses revealed mixed significant and nonsignificant results. Students did not differ in terms of such variables as hours transferred to the university from prior schools, total hours earned toward their degrees, and number of hours currently attempted. However, online students had significantly lower grade point averages, missed significantly more grade opportunities, and were significantly more likely to fail the course compared to their F2F counterparts. These and other results are discussed in relation to potentially developing a different lens through which to view student performance in online courses. 
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Online learning is on the rise, but research on outcomes and student satisfaction has produced conflicting results, and systematic, targeted research on underprepared college students is generally lacking. This study compared three sections (traditional, online, and 50% hybrid) of the same upper-level psychology course, taught with identical materials by the same instructor. Although exam scores were marginally higher in the traditional course, final grades and written assignments did not differ across sections, nor did student satisfaction. Student engagement predicted outcomes online. Taken together, these results suggest that outcomes and satisfaction are equivalent in online, hybrid, and traditional courses, and that a student's own diligence and drive might better predict success in online learning. 
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This study examines the effect of blended coursework on student learning outcomes in introductory economics courses. The effect of blending on learning is determined by comparing scores on quizzes and exams between students in a blended course (the treatment) and students in a traditional face-to-face course (the control). This study accounts for the potential bias due to non-random selection into treatment by using propensity score matching. The results indicate no significant effects of blending on student learning. 
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Using a nationally representative sample (The Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey, BPS 04/09), this study examined the associations between enrollment in credit-bearing distance education courses and degree attainment. We sought to determine whether US students enrolled in distance education courses during their first year of study at a community college tend to complete a degree (certificate, associate, or bachelor's) at significantly lower rates than those who were not enrolled in such courses or programs. Consistent with previous large-scale research at the State level in Virginia and Washington (Smith Jaggars & Xu, 2010; Xu & Smith Jaggars, 2011), we hypothesized that community college students who participate in distance education in early semesters graduate at lower rates than students who do not. Contrary to expectations, the study found that controlling for relevant background characteristics; students who take some of their early = courses online or at a distance have a significantly better chance of attaining a community college credential than do their classroom only counterparts. These results imply that a new model of student retention in the age of the internet, one that assumes transactional adaptation, may be warranted. 
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Objectives
The objective of this study was to evaluate student pharmacist experience and academic performance in the first offering of a drug information and literature evaluation course utilizing a blended learning approach.

Methods
An anonymous online survey, course grades, and evaluations were compared with the traditional offering (composed of live lectures and occasional recitations).

Results
The blended learning strategy doubled the time spent in recitation; 96% of students reported them as “helpful.” Students preferred viewing lectures online and viewed most lectures on time. Students reported that online lectures in this course provided an equal educational value compared with “live” lectures. Compared to the traditional course, there was no difference in examination scores or course evaluations. Course grades and student perception of achieving course objectives were improved with the blended learning course.

Implications
The blended learning strategy allowed for an increase in active learning sessions, higher course grades, and improvement in components of the course evaluations. 
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