Inside Higher Ed this week reported on a study by the U.S. Department of Education verifying what online educators have known for some time: There actually are advantages to online learning. The study indicates that although online education is not ideal for everyone, and that not all of the teaching techniques employed by online instructors are effective, the asychronous environment can aid the learning process for many students:
“…While the new study provides a strong endorsement of online learning, it also notes findings about the relative success (or lack thereof) of various teaching techniques used in online courses. The use of video or online quizzes — frequently encouraged for online education — “does not appear to enhance learning,” the report says.
Using technology to give students “control of their interactions” has a positive effect on student learning, however. “Studies indicate that manipulations that trigger learner activity or learner reflection and self-monitoring of understanding are effective when students pursue online learning as individuals,” the report says.
Notably, the report attributes much of the success in learning online (blended or entirely) 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 for online learning,” the report says.
In noting caveats about the findings, the study returns to the issue of time.
“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,” the report says. “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.”
In a statement*, Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged educators to consider the report’s findings…Continue reading on Inside Higher Ed >>
