Do institutions evaluate effectiveness of online course any different from traditional courses? If so, how is this done.
A search of ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) shows quite a few articles about evaluating distance education courses. http://askeric.org/Eric/ Good luck. Rich Douglas
I used to have some literature on this but can no longer find it. There have been a lot of studies and dissertations focused on this topic. Essentially the outcomes are the same and often better. John
In fact, there was a significant "back and forth" between two parties. One set of studies was called "No Difference" (I believe). The rebuttal was called "What's the Difference?" The first supported the notion that there was no difference in outcomes between distance and face-to-face methods. It cited a host of studies supporting that theme. The second one was prepared for the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. Not surprisingly, it came out against distance learning. Personally, I couldn't care less which method had greater efficacy. The fact is, either one can be the more effective, given each learner's circumstances, experience, and talents. Also, I'm much more interested in the "productivity" and usefulness of the credential earned, rather than the process for earning it. I don't suggest everyone should take my mercenary point of view, though. Rich Douglas
"No Significant Difference" is a research bibiliography compiled by Thomas L. Russell, director emeritus of instructional telecommunications at North Carolina State University, who has studied more than 400 studies of distance-education methods, generally finding no significant difference in learning outcome for different methods. You can find selected entries at http://nova.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdifference/ See http://distancelearn.about.com/library/blpages/blnsd.htm for more links to related resources, including "What’s the Difference?" -- the report commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. As Rich noted, it's not favorable; the authors conclude that the overall quality of the research is questionable and thereby renders many of the findings inconclusive. However, this report itself has been criticized as contradictory and convoluted. ------------------ Kristin Evenson Hirst DistanceLearn.About.com