Online Vs. Face to Face Learning

Found an interesting study done by US Department of Education that objectively analyzes difference in effectiveness of online, blended and face-to-face learning practices. This study is a meta-analysis of over 100 researches done on this topic between year 1996 and 2008, and can be found here.

Some of the key observations of this report that caught my attention –

1. Online learning is better than face-to-face Learning: Learners who took their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction with an average effect size of +0.24 favoring online students.
2. Blended Learning has a larger advantage relative to face-to-face learning and purely online learning: The effect size comparing blended to face-to-face learning was +0.35 in favor of blended learning. Comparison between blended and purely online learning lead to mean effect size of +0.14 in favor of blended learning.
3. Online learning effectiveness holds true for all learning groups: Online learning appeared to be effective across different learning segments, which included K-12, graduate, and corporate learners.
4. Online learning is much more conducive to expansion of learning time:  It was observed that online learning was better at keeping learners engaged in learning process for larger duration than face-to-face learning

This study also tried to understand what practices make online learning more effective. Some of interesting and somewhat surprising findings  –

1. Media Elements –

• The study suggests that use of media, videos, and flashier templates does not offer any significant advantage in learning retention.
• However, studies also suggest that if the learner is given control over these media elements then that can lead to significantly better results. So, a learner group which would be able to control course navigation flow, pause/forward/rewind videos, or interact with media elements will show better learning results than a learning group which would have no such control over the online course.

2. Interactivity –

• Online quizzes do not appear to impact the amount that learner learns in an online course. Also, quizzes were found no better than other reflective elements, such as homework, online discussions etc.
• Learning retention can be significantly enhanced by asking learners to spend more time on tasks, and activities
• Inclusion of simulations also appear to have positive learning outcome

3. Reflection –

• Learners who were asked to reflect upon their learnings, or self-measure their understanding showed significantly larger learning gains