Body
A Department of Education study shows that students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The study is a meta-analysis of the research, and it is accompanied with the warning that the findings apply primarily to adults. Researchers were surprised to discover how few research studies of the effectiveness of online learning for K-12 students have been published.
The authors encourage more K-12 research and caution that their findings should not be applied to K-12 students. For adults, however, the benefits of online learning apply to undergraduate, graduate and professional learners. Online learning, points out the report, gained traction because early studies had shown it to be a cost-effective and convenient route to equally effective learning. However, as the tools and online environments have improved, it now appears to be superior. Even so, not all gizmos make a difference.
The study posed four key research questions:
- How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face-to-face instruction?
- Does supplementing face-to-face instruction with online instruction enhance learning?
- What practices are associated with more effective online learning?
- What conditions influence the effectiveness of online learning?
Key findings include:
- Blended and purely online learning conditions generally result in similar student learning outcomes.
- Elements such as video or online quizzes do not appear to influence the amount that students learn in online classes.
- Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection.
- When groups of students are learning together online, support mechanisms such as guiding questions generally influence the way students interact, but not the amount they learn.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies
