Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of blended learning on developing critical thinking skills of a sample of students at Teachers' College in King Saud University. The study sample included 58 students who were divided randomly into two groups; one was an experimental group with 27 students and the other was a control group with 31 students. The following tools were used: E-courses, Watson - Glaser Critical Thinking Test (short form.) The researcher taught the experimental group using blended learning via Blackboard, while the control group was taught using traditional education. The results showed that: There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in critical thinking skills. 
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This study aims to investigate the effects of the traditional learning, blended learning and virtual classes learning on university students’ achievement and attitudes. 34 male students studying at the English Language Program, Qassim University were divided randomly into three groups, (blended learning, traditional learning, or virtual classes learning). Results indicate that there are significant differences among the instructional approaches in the achievement test scores in favor of blended learning. In addition, the results show significant differences in students’ attitudes in favor of blended learning. 
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This study compared the academic achievement between undergraduate students taking an introductory managerial accounting course online (N = 104) and students who took the same course in a hybrid classroom setting (N = 203). Student achievement was measured using scores from twelve weekly online assignments, two major online assignments, a final examination held on campus, and overall course performance. This study found that students receiving only online instruction were as successful as students receiving hybrid classroom instruction. These findings suggest that course instruction and pedagogy are more important for student learning than the type of media delivery, and online instructors should focus their effort on quality in developing online courses. 
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Online instruction is quickly gaining in importance in U.S. higher education, but little rigorous evidence exists as to its effect on student learning. We measure the effect on learning outcomes of a prototypical interactive learning online statistics course by randomly assigning students on six public university campuses to take the course in a hybrid format (with machine-guided instruction accompanied by one hour of face-to-face instruction each week) or a traditional format (as it is usually offered by their campus, typically with about three hours of face-to-face instruction each week). We find that learning outcomes are essentially the same—that students in the hybrid format are not harmed by this mode of instruction in terms of pass rates, final exam scores, and performance on a standardized assessment of statistical literacy. We also conduct speculative cost simulations and find that adopting hybrid models of instruction in large introductory courses has the potential to significantly reduce instructor compensation costs in the long run. 
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This paper presents a robust longitudinal comparison of student learning in face-to-face (F2F), online, and hybrid delivery methods of a two-course sequence in information systems, required of all business majors, at a Midwestern land grant university. Student learning was evaluated by delivery method in the introductory first class of the sequence, using an ordered probit regression model of letter grade earned controlling for the effects of other possible explanatory variables. Cumulative grade point average was found to be a consistent determinant in student success, and students were found to have significantly better learning outcomes, as expressed through course grades, in the F2F delivery mode for the introductory class. Student grades were then evaluated in the next, more advanced information systems course, using a second ordered probit regression model. The results indicated that mode of delivery, online or F2F, for the more advanced course had no significant impact on student grades for that course, but students who had enrolled in the online and hybrid delivery modes in the first course of the sequence performed significantly better, as measured by course grade, in the more advanced course regardless of delivery mode. 
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The main purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of the blended learning and face-to-face learning on students’ academic achievements and transfer of learning. The first aim of the study is to analyse the students’ academic achievements to determine the change of theoretical knowledge in terms of the instructional method applied in this study. However, students’ performances during the learning process are not always a good indicator. Therefore, the second aim of the study is to examine transferring students’ theoretical knowledge to their educational multimedia projects. For this purpose, 14 weeks of pre- and post-test experimental study is designed. The study is administered through an educational technology course in which students learn how to develop educational multimedia materials. The participants are undergraduate pre-service teachers; they are assigned randomly to the experimental and control group. While the experimental group has both online and classroom sessions, the control group has only face-to-face classroom sessions. Although there is no significant difference between the groups in terms of academic achievement, the students in the blended group are more successful in transferring their knowledge to their projects than the ones in the face-to-face group. In conclusion, the results show that the blended learning approach has a positive effect on the transfer of learning. 
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Many studies have compared traditional face-to-face courses to online or distance education courses. The purpose of this study was to examine academic performance, perceptions, and experiences of participants enrolled in different academic learning environments. Pre and Post Content Knowledge Tests and a student evaluation were used to measure perceptions and experiences of participants. From the first result (perception), no significant difference (p > .05) was found between the two class formats in course evaluation, showing college students had similar perceptions regardless of class format. With the second result (experience), a significant difference (p = .031< .05) was found between the two class formats in self-evaluation, indicating participants in this study had better experiences from the traditional face-to-face class format. 
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The study is a quasi-experimental research which determines the success of hybrid method of teaching to an e-community of learners in cyberspace over the face to face method of teaching and tries to compare the academic performance of the students. Two groups of students are chosen, a control group and an experimental group. The traditional method of teaching is used in the control group and the hybrid method to an e-community of students is implemented in the experimental group. After the groups have been selected, an experimental variable is introduced to the experimental group only, leaving the control group as it was. After the experimental variable has been introduced, the researcher measured both groups on the dependent variable. With the creation of e-community in the cyberspace, student’s capacity is limited to the following: to upload, to read or download. While, the teachers can perform the read, delete, edit capacity in the system. The system (e-community/e-group) is available 24/7 in the internet so the students have unlimited access time to learning and they can do it anywhere, anytime. It's vitally important that teachers should keep/stay in touch online with their students as much as possible. This is to make their presence felt and to motivate student participation in the e-community. Teachers should set their limits clear from the outset. They should inform students to allow them reasonable number of hours for an online response to queries. 
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Second language writing, not unlike other language skills, is an area of practice requiring due attention and meticulously planned instruction. With a prevalent shift of paradigm from product oriented to process-oriented approaches to writing instruction, such learner variables as language learning strategies came to the forefront. Among second language writing strategies, the locus of attention on pre-writing strategies has by no means been ample. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pre-writing strategies in ameliorating the writing ability of second language learners. Furthermore, since computer technology has had a lot to offer in pedagogical environments, the implementation of pre-writing strategies-based instruction was examined through different modes of input delivery, i.e. web-based and hybrid environments (in addition to conventional classroom teaching). A sample of second language learners was chosen from among male and female English majors and was divided into four groups: control, conventional, web-based, and hybrid groups. A homogenizing writing pretest was administered to ascertain that the learners were not very different in terms of their writing ability. After five sessions of treatment, excluding the pretest and posttest sessions, a writing posttest was given to the students, the results of which revealed that the three experimental groups had significantly outperformed the control group, and hence indicating the effectiveness of teaching pre-writing strategies. There was not, however, a meaningful difference between the conventional and web-based groups. The hybrid group, on the other hand, had excelled all the other groups. 
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Designing a hybrid course entails the challenge of choosing learning activities for each of the face-to-face and online environments--and sequencing and coordinating the activities across the two environments--to promote student attainment of the course’s learning objectives. This paper presents a study comparing student performance in an undergraduate Principles of Microeconomics course taught by the same instructor under hybrid (n = 51) and face-to-face (n = 24) delivery. The percentage of hybrid students completing the course (71%) was not significantly different (chi-square = .61, p = .433) than that (79%) of the face-to-face students. A regression analysis controlling for student GPA indicated that, for students completing the course, the composite test score was, on average, an estimated 4.8 percentage points lower (p = .025, one-tailed) under hybrid delivery than under face-to-face delivery. Student GPA had a strong positive ceteris paribus impact (p = .000, one-tailed) on the composite test score. The finding of a lower level of student learning under hybrid relative to face-to-face delivery is attributed to inattentiveness to pedagogical principles in designing the hybrid course. The study serves as a caution to colleges and universities initiating or expanding their hybrid course offerings in the absence of faculty training or quality control checks. The paper closes with suggestions for further research. 
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