Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

Online courses offer a number of obvious advantages to students in terms of scheduling and flexibility. Interactions between the instructor and student in an online course though tend to be more limited and strictly defined than they would be in the traditional classroom. Hybrid formats offer greater flexibility and variety for student-instructor interactions and learning exercises than the online format while still retaining some scheduling flexibility. This discussion assesses differences in student performance and outcomes across a sample of 7 sections of a Sports Economics course that over the last five academic years has been offered online, in the traditional classroom, and as a hybrid course. The analysis finds that students in an online course were likely to have scored 16 percent higher than students that took the same course in the traditional classroom. Students in the hybrid format were likely to have scored 4 percent lower than the students in the traditional classroom. 
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This article presents a longitudinal comparison of online versus traditional instructional delivery methods. Significant research had been conducted comparing online and traditional courses. However, there is no consensus regarding student performance considering the two instructional methods. Additionally, previous studies have focused on a limited number of courses or a short time period. This research study involves a single introductory business application software course, delivered as a traditional course and as an online course, offered over a period of ten years. The course was taught by the same instructor using the same criteria and standards across all classes, however, new versions of the software were utilized. Student performance was analyzed across 30 sections of the course from the years 2001 to 2010. Results indicate that there was no significant difference in student performance between the two modes of course delivery. 
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Are students setting themselves up for failure by taking online courses? Should students be restricted from taking online courses if they have not reached a certain GPA? Should students who fail or withdraw from an online course be required to take to traditional courses for at least one semester? At one Historically Black College or University (HBCU) there seemed to be a marked difference in the success of students taking online courses versus students taking face-to-face courses. Online students seemed to have a higher withdrawal rate, failure rate and seemed to have more trouble completing assignments by the deadline, if at all. Therefore, in the spring 2010 semester data were gathered from four management courses, two online and two face-to-face, across two different subjects, with different professors and different students to see if there was any notable difference in online achievement versus face-to-face achievement and if there was a difference in achievement why were online students performing so poorly as compared to face-to-face students. 
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Although online learning is rapidly expanding in the community college setting, there is little evidence regarding its effectiveness among community college students. In the current study, the authors used a statewide administrative data set to estimate the effects of taking one's first college-level math or English course online rather than face to face, in terms of both course retention and course performance. Several empirical strategies were used to minimize the effects of student self-selection, including multilevel propensity score. The findings indicate a robust negative impact of online course taking for both subjects. Furthermore, by comparing the results of two matching methods, the authors conclude that within-school matching on the basis of a multilevel model addresses concerns regarding selection issues more effectively than does traditional propensity score matching across schools. 
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A research project was conducted to analyze student achievement using submitted assignments for two sections of a graduate course in human development and learning, taught both online and face-to-face, as well as three sections of undergraduate educational psychology, two of which were taught face-to-face, and one taught online. Results suggest there were no significant differences between the work submitted by students from the online sections and from the face-to-face students, and that the methods of instruction are more important than the delivery platform. 
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An increasing number of undergraduate courses are adopting a hybrid format of course delivery, incorporating aspects of on-line and computer assisted learning with traditional educational formats. Evaluating learning outcomes and student assessment of non-traditional teaching is important to provide insights into its benefits and challenges. Recently, an introductory health services management course was offered in both traditional and hybrid formats, providing the opportunity to compare outcomes using different modes of educational delivery. Results show that on-line instruction is as effective as traditional teaching methods as measured by student performance. Though students are eager to take on new hybrid learning opportunities, they still value traditional direct interaction with the instructor and hesitate to go completely online. 
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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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This paper reports the results of a comparison of academic performance (course grade) in two sections of a principles of managerial accounting course, one held in a traditional format (classes held two days per week in a classroom setting) and one in a hybrid format (one class period held in a classroom setting and one in a web-based environment). After controlling for other factors, academic performance was not significantly associated with class delivery format (traditional or hybrid).

Control variables significantly associated with course performance were SAT Score and performance in a prerequisite accounting course. Gender, Transfer status, and age were not significant if SAT Score and prerequisite grade were included in the model. The findings of this study are relevant to accounting educators who are contemplating using hybrid-type courses or who may want to design studies to evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid courses. 
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