Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-7nlkj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-27T12:47:08.101Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Comparing Modes of Instruction: The Relative Efficacy of On-Line and In-Person Teaching for Student Learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Kathleen Dolan
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Extract

For many faculty members, the move by universities toward greater reliance on online and hybrid courses raises questions of course content and quality. Many faculty, socialized to deliver information to students in a manner described as “chalk and talk,” wonder whether moving courses out into the online environment somehow compromises the education students receive. In fact, there is a small but growing body of information in political science and other cognate disciplines that addresses these questions and offers evidence that online courses, while different from more traditional face-to-face classes, can offer rich learning opportunities in their own right. This article seeks to contribute to that body of knowledge by reporting the results of a quasi-experiment comparing student success and satisfaction in online and face-to-face courses.The author gratefully acknowledges the support of the UWM Center for Instructional and Professional Development and the assistance of Anthony Ciccone, Connie Schroeder, and the anonymous reviewers.

Type
THE TEACHER
Copyright
© 2008 The American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Botsch, Carol, and Robert Botsch. 2001. “Audiences and Outcomes in Online and Traditional American Government Classes: A Comparative Two-Year Case Study.” PS: Political Science and Politics 34 (March): 13541.Google Scholar
Clawson, Rosalee, Rebecca Deen, and Zoe Oxley. 2002. “Online Discussions Across Three Universities: Student Participation and Pedagogy.” PS: Political Science and Politics 35 (December): 718.Google Scholar
Garson, G. David. 1998. “Evaluating Implementation of Web-Based Teaching in Political Science.” PS: Political Science and Politics 31 (September): 58590.Google Scholar
Ginsberg, Benjamin, Theodore J. Lowi, and Margaret Weir. 2005. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton.Google Scholar
Myers, Steven, and Michael Nelson. 2004. “Do On-Line Students in a Mastery Based Principles Course Analyze, Synthesize and Evaluate Better than Face-To-Face Students?Presentation to NAEE/CSEE sessions at the ASSA meeting, San Diego, January 5. http://gozips.uakron.edu/%7Emyers/scholarship/.Google Scholar
Ono, Hiroshi, and Madeline Zavodny. 2003. “Gender and the Internet.” Social Science Quarterly 84 (March): 11120.Google Scholar
Pollock, Philip, and Bruce Wilson. 2002. “Evaluating the Impact of Internet Teaching: Preliminary Evidence from American National Government Classes.” PS: Political Science and Politics 35 (September): 5616.Google Scholar
Weiser, Eric. 2000. “Gender Differences in Internet Use Patterns and Internet Application Preferences: A Two-Sample Comparison.” CyberPsychology and Behavior 3 (April): 16778.Google Scholar
Wilson, Bruce, Philip Pollock, and Kerstin Hamann. 2006. “Partial Online Instruction and Gender-based Differences in Learning: A Quasi-Experimental Study of American Government.” PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (April): 3359.Google Scholar