Comments on: Past the “No Significant Difference” http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/ Teaching and Learning in a Net-Centric World Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:20:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Online students perform better than face-to-face students | Tony Bates http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1636 Online students perform better than face-to-face students | Tony Bates Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:23:05 +0000 http://terrya.edublogs.org/?p=165#comment-1636 [...] Terry Anderson’s blog: http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/ [...] [...] Terry Anderson’s blog: http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/ [...]

]]> By: A report on online learning | David's Occasional Blog http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1632 A report on online learning | David's Occasional Blog Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:35:07 +0000 http://terrya.edublogs.org/?p=165#comment-1632 [...] frustrated! A couple of weeks ago I noticed Terry Anderson’s blog on the newly-released US Government report, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online [...] [...] frustrated! A couple of weeks ago I noticed Terry Anderson’s blog on the newly-released US Government report, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online [...]

]]> By: Kelly Edmonds http://terrya.edublogs.org/2009/07/06/past-the-no-significant-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1619 Kelly Edmonds Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:04:24 +0000 http://terrya.edublogs.org/?p=165#comment-1619 Hi, Terry. Good comments. I scanned this report as well and I appreciate your insights about meta-analyses. I performed one a few years ago to see if CAI or CAL instruction improved student learning in K-12 settings. I found it didn’t. This type of systematic analysis has its strengths in trying to measure oranges, apples, and bananas, and I think it is wise to review the outcomes versus casting the ‘statistical’ data aside. From reading the outcomes of this study, and reflecting on a recent study I have done on online learners in higher education, I suspect one contributing component of the appeal and affect of online learning is the whole educational experience. That is, it might not be that learning is better online (or with blended modes), but that collectively the convenience, access to resources, communication opportunities, and ways to present work using new technologies enriches life for a student. I have found teaching styles online vary, but it does not necessarily mean it limits good learning. With that variable removed, I think the technological world provides learners with more experiences, tools, and opportunities to learn. With that said, I think we still need to continue exploring what makes for good learning in this world considering how information is created, provided, and required, and how the affordances of technology affects this. Hi, Terry. Good comments. I scanned this report as well and I appreciate your insights about meta-analyses. I performed one a few years ago to see if CAI or CAL instruction improved student learning in K-12 settings. I found it didn’t. This type of systematic analysis has its strengths in trying to measure oranges, apples, and bananas, and I think it is wise to review the outcomes versus casting the ‘statistical’ data aside.

From reading the outcomes of this study, and reflecting on a recent study I have done on online learners in higher education, I suspect one contributing component of the appeal and affect of online learning is the whole educational experience. That is, it might not be that learning is better online (or with blended modes), but that collectively the convenience, access to resources, communication opportunities, and ways to present work using new technologies enriches life for a student.

I have found teaching styles online vary, but it does not necessarily mean it limits good learning. With that variable removed, I think the technological world provides learners with more experiences, tools, and opportunities to learn. With that said, I think we still need to continue exploring what makes for good learning in this world considering how information is created, provided, and required, and how the affordances of technology affects this.

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