Title of Study: The Effectiveness of an Online Algebra Course

Author(s): C. Cavanaugh, K.J. Gillan, J. Bosnick, M Hess, H. Scott

Summary:
This study compared the overall effectiveness of an online algebra course with comparable classroom-based instruction in the same state.

Sponsoring entity(s): n/a

Date conducted: 2006

Location of the study: This study can be accessed through the International Society for Technology in Education website.

Setting(s) addressed:

• Classroom
• Virtual classroom

Targeted population(s):

• Algebra students

Primary sources of evidence used in the study or report:

• Performance on a commercially-available standardized algebra exam

Primary Technology Application(s) Addressed:

• Online learning

Major education topic(s) addressed:

• Mathematics (algebra)

Major findings/conclusions:

• Although the mean score of students in the online course was higher than the classroom-based students, the difference was not statistically significant due to sample size.

Practical implications of the findings:

• Methods of instruction and assessment need to be re-thought for online education.  Standardized multiple-choice tests may not be comparable assessments when comparing online with classroom-based instruction because of the different testing conditions. Variables include time students spend on the assessment and access to resources.

Reviewer Comments:
This study used a quasi-experimental design with 123 students taking an online algebra course, 16 in a virtual franchise school, and 98 in a comparable classroom-based algebra course. Assessment was voluntary for students taking the online algebra course, and only 12 of 123 students in the online course took the assessment.  It is not known if those who took the assessment were representative of the online students as a whole.  Also, it is not known how long the online students spent on the assessment, or what resources they used during the assessment.