Comparative Analysis of Learner Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online and Face-to-Face Learning Environments
Abstract :
This empirical study compared a graduate online course with an equivalent course taught in a traditional face-to-face format on a variety of outcome measures. Comparisons included student ratings of instructor and course quality; assessment of course interaction, structure, and support; and learning outcome measures such as course grades and student self-assessment of their ability to perform various Instructional Systems Design (ISD) tasks.
Problem Statement :
Although the growth of online programs has been significant in recent years, the capabilities and efficacy of such programs have yet to be fully investigated. Most effort in this area has been devoted to program development while examinations of program quality and effectiveness have been anecdotal in nature. With little empirical knowledge about Internet-based education outcomes, the need for research in this area is not only timely, but also imperative.
Target audience :
Nineteen students, most of whom are pursuing a graduate degree in Human Resource Development (HRD), were enrolled in the on-campus course. These students can be viewed as traditional university students who are actively pursuing an advanced degree through full time study on campus.
Nineteen students were also enrolled in the online version of the course. These students are also pursuing a graduate degree in HRD through a degree program that is taught completely online. The online group can be viewed as nontraditional students because they are able to complete their advanced degree without ever setting foot on campus.
Methods:
This exploratory empirical study compared outcome data obtained from students enrolled in one of two versions of a graduate level instructional design Course . One version of the course was taught on the campus of a large Midwestern university through a traditional face-to-face format while the other version of the same course was offered totally online, with no direct face-to-face contact between the instructor and the students
Instrument :
- The university’s Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) was used to obtain general student perceptions of the quality of their learning experience.
- The Course Interaction, Structure, and Support (CISS) instrument which is a hybrid instrument of:
◦ The Distance and Open Learning Scale (DOLES) instrument was used to assess student perceptions of their learning experience.
◦ The Dimensions of Distance Education (DDE) instrument which provides a further assessment of the learning environment.
Results :
The following results are organized around the research questions and include comparisons of the face-to-face and the online students’ perceptions in the areas of satisfaction, course interaction, course structure, and support. Further analysis compares student learning outcomes in terms of course project quality, course grades, and a self-assessment of their ability to perform various ISD tasks.
Students satisfaction :
These items asked students to rate, on a five point. On the student satisfaction indicators, instructor quality and course quality, both groups provided positive ratings. The mean rating for the instructor’s overall teaching effectiveness for the face-to-face group was 4.21 (SD = .79) while the online students’ mean rating was 3.58 (SD =1.07). While this difference was significant.
The CISS instrument assessed student perceptions regarding course interaction, structure, and support throughout the semester. Using a four point Likert scale, the students indicated the degree to which they Agreed (4) or Disagreed (1) with various statements. Overall, both groups of students had positive perceptions, with the face-to-face students having significantly more positive views for interaction and support.
the findings in this study suggest that online instruction may not be suitable for courses that require high degrees of student instructor interaction and feedback, such as performance- based training methods courses that rely on considerable mentoring and coaching.
Limitations :
Until the technologies for online instruction better simulate real time interaction, program developers may need to avoid courses that require frequent verbal and behavioral communication between students and the instructor.
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Non-comparative study:
Study title:
Online Discussions as a Tool for Learning:
Case Study of the Benefits of ICT Use in a First Year Teacher Education Context
http://pppjj.usm.my/mojit/articles/pdf/1204/Online%20Discussions%20as%20a%20Tool%20for%20Learning.pdf
purpose of evaluation:
This paper is a report of a qualitative case study on the benefits of online discussion for a particular cohort of pre service teacher education students in their first year of a university English program in Australia.
Define participants:
The study is based on a cohort of first year university students. There were 192 students in the unit. As part of their assessment requirements they had to post to the discussion board three times. The range of ICT abilities of the students was from complete novice through to students who could design their own web sites. This was one of the background rationales for running the discussion board and book rap observations, that it would increase the students’ familiarity and levels of engagement with ICT.
Evaluation instruments applied:
The paper reports some principled of observations of service teacher program in an Australian university and observation of students’ online communities .
advantages and challenged :
Advantages:
1. One of the anticipated benefits of this unit was that students would develop operational use of ICT as an end in itself.
2. students were coping with the context of their learning experience as much as of how much they were learning.
3. transferring students’ attention from their own learning to what was made possible by ICT use and what negative conditions might preclude its successful use.
4. the e-mails grouped within this theme demonstrate that students’ responses to the discussion board were sometimes couched in terms of their knowledge of ICT use in authentic contexts for a university student.
challenged:
1. The teaching experiences were driven by the challenge to educators to ‘integrate new technologies meaningfully and transparently into learning activities’
2. Preparedness to consider new ways of teaching/ learning. They explicitly challenged each other to take up the book rap as a way of engaging children with literature on online.
3. on a personal level and a critical level. They were challenged to think on different levels. It was not sufficient to respond to prompts with comments that told if a student enjoyed an experience or give a description of what they saw. Rather, the students were challenged to comparatively critique what they saw in terms of the two raps as models or contexts of learning. The non-technical students learned how to use technology effectively.
4. Changes to past experience with ICT.
the results:
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