Effectiveness of Online Education in a High School Honors American Government Classroom

The internet is a tool that many students use to do research in the classroom. Students are asked to use the internet for a variety of activities ranging from general searches for information to completing a course online. The effectiveness of online courses is of interest to many educators who want to know if this method is worth pursuing. Teachers are also interested in understanding student attitudes toward online education. This study examined the effectiveness of online learning as a teaching method in an Honors American Government class that was taught using Blackboard as the delivery system. The participants in this class were students who met the criteria for the Honors program at Hutchinson High School, a high school in southern Kansas. Test and essay results showed that there was no significant difference concerning effectiveness between online learning and traditional learning methods. Survey results showed that students in the experimental group were motivated to achieve in all their classes, believed that interpersonal communication was important and that they were comfortable using the computer. Students also believed that receiving timely feedback and being self-motivated were important to success in an online class