How effective are online courses?

According to a new analysis released by the U.S. Department of Education students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better than students taking the same courses through face to face instruction. However, those who took “blended” courses, or courses that combined elements of online learning and face to face instruction had the best results of all. This study may be a significant finding considering that many Universities around the country reported that blended instruction is one of the fastest growing types of enrollment. In the past there have been many other studies and analysis of online courses but only a small number of them came up with useful results. They had to do many things like comparing the online teaching experience to face to face situations, measure students learning curves and provide adequate information to calculate the differences between the two types of courses. Many of the past studies completed on this topic found that there was not much difference between online learning and face to face instruction. Surprisingly, this study attributes the success of the online courses not to technology, but to time. “Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face to face condition found a greater benefit in learning.” Students are less likely to go off task on an online course because they are using their computers to take the course. In face to face courses, computers are the main source of distraction.

1)   Do you find that online courses make it less likely for students to get off task and be distracted by the technology surrounding them?

2)   With online courses gaining popularity in recent years, do you think its plausible for most courses to be at least a blend of online and face to face interaction within the next few years at Universities around the country? 

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