Online Versus Face-to-Face Instruction

Online versus face-to-face instruction: Analysis of gender and course format in undergraduate business statistics courses

Summary:
Online courses are becoming more common in higher education.  This article is a quantitative research project evaluating the performance differences between online and face-to-face college courses for both male and female students.

Critique:
The researcher introduces the research by drawing focus to how online courses are becoming not a fade but rather reality.  The introduction brings light to the ever changing needs of students and the resistance to adapt for some faculty.  To get to the statement of the problem the article cites evidence as to the progression of online course formats to support the statement problem.  This progression provides the reader some “prior knowledge” to as to the increasing demands and limitations for online courses.  The statement of the problem is presented in a manner that draws attention to the concern of gender and overall performance compared with face-to-face courses.  Two hypotheses statements were presented comparing online courses to face-to-face courses with the decrease in student averages and the differences between male and females success in both course formats.  I would liked to have seen more research to support the hypotheses and the trends between online and the traditional face-to-face courses.  I believe student feedback would have been beneficial to get a students perspective of the challenges and obstacles encountered between both course formats.

References:
Flanagan, J. L. (2012). Online versus face-to-face instruction: Analysis of gender and
course format in undergraduate business statistics courses. Academy Of Business Journal, (2), 89-98.

Source:
Texas A&M University – Commerce, Gee Library

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