Distance Learning Online

Do adult students learn more sitting in traditional classrooms or distance learning online courses? Who scores better on tests - online distance learning test-takers clicking their way through exams or campus dwellers bubbling in Scantrons with #2 pencils? Upon course completion, is one student more qualified than the other to enter the job market?

These questions and more have been answered in Thomas Russell's painstaking compilation "The No Significant Difference Phenomenon" (1999). This collection of 355 independent research reports, summaries, and papers focuses on the legitimacy of computer-based learning environments and, in a nutshell, concludes that the learning outcomes of students of online distance learning are similar to, or better than, the learning outcomes of traditional on-campus students.

In other words:

• Students learning online from the comfort of their homes are completing courses with grades equal to or better than their peers sitting in college classrooms.
  
  
• These same students are equally prepared for their first day on the job in their new trade. Check out what the experts are saying about the quality of your distance learning education!

No Significant Difference between distance learning online or "on campus".

• "One of the first issues to be investigated was whether students were getting the same education in the technologically delivered classes as in the traditional classroom...there are no significant differences in academic performance for students in the two settings." (Gehlauf, D.N., Shatz, M.A. & Frye, T.W. (1990), Faculty Perceptions of Interactive Instruction Strategies: Implications for Training. The Americal Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 5, No. 3).
  
  
• "All studies in the table reported no significant differences between resident and distant groups. It appears from the studies reviewed here that student achievement in distance learning courses is comparable to student achievement in resident courses." (Barry, M. & Runyan, G., (1995), A Review of Distance-Learning Studies in the U.S. Military. The American Journal of Distance Education).
  
  
• "Many hundreds of thousands of such comparative studies have been made in the past, and the usual result when the comparisons have been done using sound research is that there is no significant difference." (Bates, A. W. (1997), Restructuring the University for Technological Change. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching - London, England).
  
  
• "Students were enthusiastic about this learning experience, believed Jackson's online course design was equally effective as traditional classroom instruction, and stated a high level of satisfaction overall." (Ward, J. (1998), Community College Student Perceptions of Online Instruction Experiences. Education at a Distance, Vol. 12, No. 3). Significant Difference
  
  
• Scores on achievement tests were highest for students taking a distance learning online course and there was a significant difference in the attitudes of students, with the correspondence students registering the highest level of satisfaction. (Chen, H., Lehman, J. & Armstrong, P. (1991), Comparison of Performance and Attitude in Traditional and Computer Conferencing Classes. The American Journal of Distance Education - Vol. 5, No. 3).
  
  
• Review of course grades demonstrated that off-campus students achieved higher grades than on-campus students and distance learners had a more positive attitude towards learning in general. (Fulmer, J., Hazzard, M., Jones, S., & Keene, K. (1992), Distance Learning: An Innovative Approach to Nursing Education. Journal of Professional Nursing).
  
  
• A study conducted by the demonstrated standardized achievement test scores of its online graduates were 5% to 10% higher than graduates of competing on-campus programs at three Arizona public universities. (Gubernick, L. & Ebeling, A. (1997), I Got My Degree Through E-mail. University of Phoenix, Arizona).
  
  
• Results indicate the virtual students scored an average of 20 points higher on the 100-point midterm and final exams... All differences are highly significant. (Shutte, J. G. (1998), Virtual Teaching in Higher Education. California State University, Northridge).
  
  

Overall, scientific research consistently shows students participating in distance learning online capable of achieving positive outcomes comparable to that of students enrolled in traditional institutions.

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