Just did a quick scan of the Maki & Maki chapter and don't find any discussion of attrition. That would have been a good addition, given that attrition can be a serious problem in some online courses (mostly poorly designed ones). Not all online courses have high attrition rates.
Measures included a variety of direct measures of student learning and reports of student satisfaction. In some cases, Maki & Maki discuss data from multiple large meta-analyses (meta-meta-analysis?), so getting at underlying designs and measures is difficult. The most interesting data in this chapter are related to the analysis of method of delivery by evidence of types of pedagogy used. Studies that generated significant differences between methods of delivery (sometimes f2f better, sometimes online better), often had confounds between mode of delivery and pedagogy used. The deciding factor appears to be pedagogy: the superior mode of instruction was the one that also used active learning strategies that promoted student engagement and deep learning. If the online course was structured to engage students with frequent assignments, course interaction, etc. and the comparison was a standard lecture plus exams, the online course produced better learning. If the online course was a plug-and-chug/narrated power points and online quizzes and the f2f included active learning components, the f2f course came out on top. When the pedagogies were equivalent, the studies often reported the ubiquitious "no difference" finding. Bottom line, technology is a tool that can be used well or poorly. The tecnology might be an online course management system, power point, clickers, chalk, whatever. The skill of the instructor in designing an engaging course with the technology selected determines the quality of learning produced. Some things can never be taught on line (throwing pottery online - I don't think so). These things can't be taught in a traditional lecture either. I'm willing to entertain the possibility that some things can be taught equally well in both domains and I can imagine situations in which the online format provides tools and techniques that work better than traditional classroom experiences. This is one reason why I'm excited about hybrid courses and online supplements for my f2f courses - gives me access to all the tools to fit my various purposes. Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Associate Professor, Psychology University of West Florida 11000 University Parkway Pensacola, FL 32514 – 5751 Phone: (850) 857-6355 or 473-7435 [email protected] CUTLA Web Site: http://uwf.edu/cutla/ Personal Web Pages: http://uwf.edu/cstanny/website/index.htm On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Jim Clark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi > > Did the Maki's look at attrition? One thing that struck me about the > meta-analysis questioned by the researchers Chris pointed us to was that > many, many of the studies included in the meta-analysis showing no > difference between online and class had UNKNOWN in the attrition column. > Yet one central question about on-line vs class has been differential > attrition, perhaps especially for weaker students. Attrition of course > impacts performance. > > Take care > Jim > > > > James M. Clark > Professor of Psychology > 204-786-9757 > 204-774-4134 Fax > [email protected] > > >>> Claudia Stanny <[email protected]> 22-Jun-10 9:31:17 AM >>> > Wish they'd look at the meta-analysis by Ruth and Bill Maki on online > courses (chapter in the Handbook of Applied Cognition edited by F. T. > Durso, > 2007). It's the merit of the pedagogy used, not the technology > through > which it is delivered. (In spite of Marshall McLuhans assertion that > the > medium is the message.) Passive lectures have the same impact on > learning, > whether delivered online or face-to-face. What a surprise. Maki and > Maki > review 40 years of research that shows this over and over again. > > Never let data get in the way of a firmly held belief . . . and we > wring our > had about the lack of critical thinking skills in our students! > > Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. > Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment > Associate Professor, Psychology > University of West Florida > 11000 University Parkway > Pensacola, FL 32514 * 5751 > > Phone: (850) 857-6355 or 473-7435 > > [email protected] > > CUTLA Web Site: http://uwf.edu/cutla/ > Personal Web Pages: http://uwf.edu/cstanny/website/index.htm > > > On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 6:46 AM, Christopher D. Green > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > > Ah, the lure of conducting bad research (about the value of on-line > > education, in this case) in the service of a pre-ordained > conclusion. > > http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/22/online > > > > Chris > > -- > > > > Christopher D. Green > > Department of Psychology > > York University > > Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 > > Canada > > > > > > > > 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 > > [email protected] > > http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ > > > > ========================== > > > > --- > > > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > > > > To unsubscribe click here: > > > > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d550&n=T&l=tips&o=3216 > > > > > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is > broken) > > > > or send a blank email to > > > leave-3216-13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=3218 > > or send a blank email to > leave-3218-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d550&n=T&l=tips&o=3251 > or send a blank email to > leave-3251-13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. 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