Abstract:

This paper presents the results of three studies conducted over 14 years comparing the academic achievement of students in online and traditional sections of English 319: The Structure of English, a course required of all Liberal Studies Majors at California State University, Bakersfield. The course consists of three major modules: phonology, morphology, and syntax. Each module has a 200-point examination with randomized items. In addition, Study 1 has a 120 pretest with randomized items. Studies 2 and 3 have a 200-point pretest divided into 25 sections that sample the content of the entire course and have randomized items in each section. Studies 2 and 3 have a post-test with the same format as the pretest. The use of a pretest/post-test methodology enables the measurement of academic gains over time. The same instructor taught all sections of the course.

Study 1
The purpose of Study 1 was to determine whether students in online classes and traditional classes had similar achievement in English 319. The participants were 623 students in 19 online and traditional sections of the course taught between winter 2000 and summer 2002. Four measures were used: a pretest and three content examinations in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Results from the pretest revealed that the students in the two instructional modes did not significantly differ from each other in their initial knowledge of course content and that they did not differ significantly from each other on any of the three content examinations.

Study 2
The purpose of Study 2 was to replicate the first study and to compare academic gains over time. The study compared the academic achievement of 742 students in 16 online and traditional sections of English 319 held between fall 2002 and winter 2004. All students took the pretest, the three content examinations, and the post-test. Significant statistical differences did not obtain between the groups on the phonology and morphology examinations; however, online students scored significantly higher on syntax. Results of the pretest/post-test revealed that students in both groups made highly significant gains, and they did not differ from each other on the strength of the gains.

Study 3
The purpose of Study 3 was to determine which combination of instructional conditions promoted the highest academic achievement. The instructional conditions were the number and length of content exams (three 200-point exams or six 100-point exams) and the assignment of the 146 online exercises (Obligatory or Recommended): creating four groups: 6-R, 6-Ob, 3-R, 3-Ob; 1046 students in online sections from winter 2005 through winter 2016 participated. Statistical results reveal that students who were assigned required exercises experienced significantly higher academic achievement than did students who were assigned recommended exercises and that students who took six exams had significantly higher scores that those who took three. The interaction was not significant, but patterns are evident: The Students in 3R had the lowest success rates and the highest dropout rates whereas students in 6-Ob had the highest success rates and the lowest dropout rates.

The implications of these findings and the importance of using assessment data to modify course content will be discussed.

Keywords:

Online education, assessment, academic gains, pre-test/post-test, comparative studies, comparing online education with face to face education.