A Correlational Study on Components of Hybrid Course Delivery and Student Success in Introductory Statistics

Hybrid course delivery has become a popular course design in general education large enrollment courses. While the benefits of hybrid course design are detailed in many studies, little research has been conducted on the contribution specific components make toward student success. In this quantitative research study, a correlational design with a multiple regression technique was used to examine the relationship between average weekly quiz grade, number of weekly quiz attempts, weekly lab attendance, weekly time spent in class with the professor and student conceptual understanding in the introductory statistics course. This research study was conducted at a private university located in the eastern United States with 15,000 residential students. The sample was taken from twelve sections of an introductory general education statistics class. This research study found that the average weekly quiz grade had a significant positive correlation with conceptual understanding in an introductory statistics class. The multiple regression analysis indicated that the average weekly quiz grade was the only independent variable to make a statistically significant contribution to the prediction of the CAOS score. Further research on the specific components of hybrid course delivery could add to the core knowledge about the hybrid course format and help future course redesigns maximize student conceptual understanding as well as identify students in need of remediation

Comparison of Student Achievement among Two Science Laboratory Types: Traditional and Virtual

Technology has changed almost every aspect of our daily lives. It is not surprising then that technology has made its way into the classroom. More and more educators are utilizing technological resources in creative ways with the intent to enhance learning, including using virtual laboratories in the sciences in place of the “traditional” science laboratories. This has generated much discussion as to the influence on student achievement when online learning replaces the face-toace contact between instructor and student. The purpose of this study was to discern differences in achievement of two laboratory instruction types: virtual laboratory and a traditional laboratory. Results of this study indicate statistical significant differences in student achievement defined by averages on quiz scores in virtual labs compared with traditional face-toace laboratories and traditional laboratories result in greater student learning gains than virtual labs. Lecture exam averages were also greater for students enrolled in the traditional laboratories compared to students enrolled in the virtual laboratories. To account for possible differences in ability among students, a potential extraneous variable, GPA and ACT scores were used as covariates

Comparing Biology Grades Based on Instructional Delivery and Instructor at a Community College: Face-to-Face Course Versus Online Course.

Through distance learning, the community college system has been able to serve more students by providing educational opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to attend college. The community college of focus in the study increased its online enrollments and online course offerings due to the growth of overall enrollment. The need and purpose of the study is to address if there is a difference in students’ grades between face-to-face and online biology related courses and if there are differences in grades between face-to-face and online biology courses taught by different instructors and the same instructor. The study also addresses if online course delivery is a viable method to educate students in biology-related fields. The study spanned 14 semesters between spring 2006 and summer 2011. Data were collected for 6,619 students. For each student, demographic information, cumulative grade point average, ACT, and data on course performance were gathered. Student data were gathered from General Biology I, Microbiology of Human Pathogens, Human Anatomy and Physiology I, and Human Anatomy and Physiology II courses. Univariate analysis of variance, linear regression, and descriptive analysis were used to analyze the data and determine which variables significantly impacted grade achievement for face-to-face and online students in biology classes. The findings from the study showed that course type, face-to-face or online, was significant for Microbiology of Human Pathogens and Human Anatomy and Physiology I, both upper level courses. Teachers were significant for General Biology I, a lower level course, Human Anatomy and Physiology I, and Human Anatomy and Physiology II. However, in every class, there were teachers who had significant differences within their courses between their face-to-face and online courses. This study will allow information to be concluded about the relationship between the students’ final grades and class type, face-to-face or online, and instructor. Administrators, faculty and students can use this information to understand what needs to be done to successfully teach and enroll in biology courses, face-to-face or online

Online Versus Hybrid Instruction in Undergraduate Cell biology: A Comparative Study on Student Achievement

AbstractThere is a consistent concern for students' success in undergraduate introductory cell biology as this foundational course may impact their persistence towards earning a degree in the health sciences. Institutions need to consider the delivery method of instruction and the potential impacts on student success and enrollment. For five years, the same instructor taught an undergraduate cellular and molecular biology course using two different teaching methods; hybrid in-person and asynchronous online. Both groups have the same learning outcomes and received the same summative assessments. This exploration provides detailed procedures of the two instructional design models and compares overall semester summative and formative student achievement using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. Quantitative results indicated that online and hybrid courses slightly differ in summative academic achievement (favoring hybrid) and significantly in formative achievement (favoring online). An end-of-semester survey was also investigated for thematic elements. Survey analysis revealed an overall positive response to both formats and insight into activities and resources that students found crucial to their learning. Implications of this study provide recommendations and elements for course design and policy. Keywords: community college, biology, online, hybrid, assessment, student achievemen

A Path Analysis Exploration of Teacher’s Effect, Self-Efficacy, Demographic Factors, and Attitudes toward Mathematics among College Students Attending s Minority Serving Institution in Face-to-Face and Hybrid Mathematics Courses

Graduation rates in colleges and universities have not kept up with the increase in enrollment. Lack of mathematics competence is a factor that impairs students from completing higher education studies. This problem is even more pervasive in minority groups. The existing body of research on mathematics education have not favored emerging minority populations in terms of addressing their needs for academic program completion across mode of instruction. The study analyzed the relationship between type of instruction and the factors underlying students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Further, this study examined the effect of factors underlying the constructs of teacher’s effect and self-efficacy as well as gender and mode of instruction on factors underlying attitudes of students to learn mathematics. Data were collected from a sample of 390 students enrolled in College Algebra delivered in face-to-face and hybrid learning at a minority-serving college, using three well established instruments. A one-way MANOVA and Path Analyses were used to analyze the data. There were significant differences in the level of importance students attributed to learning mathematics for their life in terms of mode of instruction. Those students who learned mathematics in the hybrid setting believed that learning and mastering mathematics would become an advantageous factor for their life. Beliefs of encouragement from the teacher and mathematics capability to solve procedural problems predicted judgments of satisfaction for being enrolled in College Algebra, as well as judgments of the importance students attributed to learning mathematics for their life. Mode of instruction was also a significant predictor of importance. Mathematics apprehension was significantly predicted by discouragement. Perceptions with respect to performing mathematics problems that required applying several procedures was significantly predicted by the combined effect of judgments of encouragement and discouragement from the teacher. Perceptions of being encouraged from the teacher predicted beliefs to perform critical thinking problems in mathematics

Adaptability to Online Learning: Differences Across Types of Students and Academic Subject Areas

Using a dataset containing nearly 500,000 courses taken by over 40,000 community and technical college students in Washington State, this study examines how well students adapt to the online environment in terms of their ability to persist and earn strong grades in online courses relative to their ability to do so in face-to-face courses. While all types of students in the study suffered decrements in performance in online courses, some struggled more than others to adapt: males, younger students, Black students, and students with lower grade point averages. In particular, students struggled in subject areas such as English and social science, which was due in part to negative peer effects in these online courses

Online Versus Traditional Course Achievement at a Small Liberal Arts College

The purpose of this study was to compare student achievement and satisfaction in online versus traditional introductory statistics courses. The sample studied were undergraduates at a small liberal arts school enrolled in introductory statistics over a period of six semesters. There were a few significant findings in student achievement in the overall sample and other meaningful results were found when assessing nursing and business majors specifically. Student satisfaction results between the two formats were inconclusive. Future studies on this topic can include hybrid education data in addition to online and traditional to see if there are any differences in achievement or student satisfaction in that population. Another possible study could be done regarding achievement in students who took preparatory training prior to enrolling in an online course

Teaching Graduate Economics: Online Vs. Traditional Classroom Instruction

The use of online course offerings in college, including graduate business courses, has grown sharply in recent years (Eastman, Swift, Bocchi, Jordan and McCabe, 2003).  Results of previous research comparing student performance in lecture versus online classes are mixed.  This paper focuses specifically on student performance in MBA managerial economics classes, analyzing learning differences between those in online and traditional lecture classes.  In addition to comparing overall performances, we tested further to determine if gender, ethnicity, and levels of achievement and aptitude are factors in explaining differences in performance between, as well as within, lecture and online classes.  Our empirical results demonstrate that the grade difference between stronger and weaker students, as defined by aptitude and effort, is significantly larger for online students

The Effect of Modality on Student Achievement and Course Completion in a Developmental Mathematics Course

Students taking courses in developmental mathematics do so in one of three modalities - some take the classes face-to-face in a classroom with a professor who is physically present, others take the classes in what is known as a blended or hybrid mode in which the professor uses a combination of classroom and online time to teach the course, and another group takes the classes completely online. Increasingly, a growing number of students are taking these courses in a hybrid mode or completely online, and this phenomenon is causing educators to redesign their programs, offering more courses in these two modalities. However, some program leaders do so without any data about the achievement and course completion rates of students in the different modalities. This research 1) investigated the achievement rates of students taking an eight week developmental mathematics course, taught in three different modalities and 2) investigated the course completion rates of students taking an eight week developmental mathematics course, taught in three different modalities. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the achievement and course completion rates of students enrolled in an eight week developmental mathematics course, Elementary Algebra, based on the delivery modality. The study was conducted at a large multi-campus institution located in the southeast United States as the research site. The theories used to frame the research were the Information Processing Theory and Cognitive Load Theory

Examination Of An Online College Mathematics Course: Correlation Between Learning Styles And Student Achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between learning styles and student learning outcomes in an online college mathematics course. Specifically, the study was guided by two research questions focused on (a) the extent to which learning styles had a predictive relationship with student achievement in an online college mathematics course and (b) the extent to which various learning styles among mathematics students in online versus face-to-face courses predicted mathematics achievement. The population for this study consisted of the 779 college mathematics and algebra (CMA) students who were enrolled in a private multimedia university located in the southeast. A total of 501 students were enrolled in the online class, i.e., the experimental group, and 278 students enrolled in the face-to-face class comprised the control group. All students completed (a) an initial assessment to control for current mathematics knowledge, (b) the online Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Styles Scales (GRSLSS) Inventory, and (c) 20 questions selected from the NAEP Question Tool database. Hierarchical linear regressions were used to address both research questions. A series of ANCOVA tests were run to examine the presence of any relationships between a given demographic and course modality when describing differences between student test scores while controlling for prior academic performance. The results indicated that predominant learning style had no apparent influence on mathematics achievement. The results also indicated that predominant learning style had no apparent influence on iv mathematics achievement for online students. When examining demographics alone without respect to modality, there was no significance in course performance between students in various ethnicity, gender, or age group