Interesting report from US Dept of Ed re online learning

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by adireynolds, Aug 27, 2009.

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  1. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    Didn't know if y'all had seen this report; I was alerted to it from an article in The Chronicle today.

    Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies

    Published by the US Dept of Education in May 2009.

    Key Findings:

    · Few rigorous research studies of the effectiveness of online learning for K–12 students have been published.

    · Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.

    · Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction.

    · 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 for online learning.

    · Most of the variations in the way in which different studies implemented online learning did not affect student learning outcomes significantly.

    · The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types.

    · Effect sizes were larger for studies in which the online and face-to-face conditions varied in terms of curriculum materials and aspects of instructional approach in addition to the medium of instruction.

    · Blended and purely online learning conditions implemented within a single study 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.
    • Providing guidance for learning for groups of students appears less successful than does using such mechanisms with individual learners.
    Major non-methodological caveat raised:

    "Despite what appears to be strong support for online learning applications, the studies in this meta-analysis do not demonstrate that online learning is superior as a medium, In many of the studies showing an advantage for online learning, the online and classroom conditions differed in terms of time spent, curriculum and pedagogy. It was the combination of elements in the treatment conditions (which was likely to have included additional learning time and materials as well as additional opportunities for collaboration) that produced the observed learning advantages. At the same time, one should note that online learning is much more conducive to the expansion of learning time than is face-to-face instruction" (p. xvii).


    I'm guessing that this report rather confirms what most of the participants on this board have discovered anecdotally -- i.e., if we didn't find advantages to online learning, neither would we pursue learning in this fashion nor be advocates for it.


    Just thought I'd share. The full report is too large to attach -- it can be accessed here: www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/.../evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf.


    Cheers,
    Adrienne
     
  2. blaterson

    blaterson New Member

    I might disagree with that. I'm taking a business (leadership) class now which has a video writeup assignment at the end of each unit and I think it really has a large impact on me not only getting the picture about leadership but also in making me think and see the aspects of leadership among workers.
     
  3. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I suspect that the effectiveness of K-12 and adult post-secondary education might be moved by rather different variables.

    I'm highly skeptical about that finding.

    We know that many variables influence the effectiveness of K-12 schools and students, such as student proficiency with English, parental involvement and many more. My guess is that DL students aren't just a random sample of students, but are drawn disproportionately from a population that would perform well in most learning environments.

    That might be consistent with my suspicion.

    My own strongly held belief is that DL is going to be a lot more effective in lecture classes than it will be in glassblowing studios or helicopter pilot training. DL is doubtless very good at transmitting words and text, but probably far less robust when it comes to hands-on practice with a skilled mentor at your side. That has serious implications for laboratory classes.
     

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