Department of Ed: Online Learning More Effective

In a groundbreaking meta study released today, the United States Department of Education found that blended and online learning options are more effective at improving achievement that traditional classroom instruction. They explain:

"The meta analysis showed that 'blended' instruction – combining elements of online and face-to-face instruction – had a larger advantage relative to purely face to face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online. The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction...

'Studies of earlier generations of distance and online learning courses have concluded that they are usually as effective as classroom-based instruction,' said Marshall 'Mike' Smith, a Senior Counselor to the secretary. 'The studies of more recent online instruction included in this meta-analysis found that, on average, online learning, at the post-secondary level, is not just as good as but more effective than conventional face-to-face instruction..."

Due to these findings, the Department urges colleges to use stimulus funds for the implementation of technology that can help learners.

This report comes as good news for online learning advocates. When questioned about the legitimacy of online teaching, we can now respond that learning on the web is actually better than learning from a classroom desk.

See Also:

• Top 5 Distance Learning Myths
• 10 Ways to Be a Successful Online Student