Marianne Bakia

TL;DR: The meta-analysis of empirical studies of online learning found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction, and suggests that the positive effects associated with blended learning should not be attributed to the media, per se.

TL;DR: This book describes how online learning is being used in both K-12 and higher education settings as well as in learning outside of school, and draws implications for institutional and state policies that would promote judicious uses of online learning and effective implementation models.

Abstract: authors are grateful for their constructive comments. iv v Executive Summary Educational systems are under increasing pressure to reduce costs while maintaining or improving outcomes for students. To improve educational productivity, 1 In the United States, online learning alternatives are proliferating rapidly. Recent estimates suggest that 1.5 million elementary and secondary students participated in some form of online learning in 2010 (Wicks 2010). The term online learning can be used to refer to a wide range of programs that use the Internet to provide instructional materials and facilitate interactions between teachers and students and in some cases among students as well. Online learning can be fully online, with all instruction taking place through the Internet, or online elements can be combined with face-to-face interactions in what is known as blended learning (Horn and Staker 2010). many school districts and states are turning to online learning. The purpose of this report is to support educational administrators and policymakers in becoming informed consumers of information about online learning and its potential impact on educational productivity. The report provides foundational knowledge needed to examine and understand the potential contributions of online learning to educational productivity, including a conceptual framework for understanding the necessary components of rigorous productivity analyses, drawing in particular on cost-effectiveness analysis as an accessible method in education. Five requirements for rigorous cost-effectiveness studies are described: 1) Important design components of an intervention are specified; 2) Both costs and outcomes are measured; 1 As defined in this report, productivity is a ratio between costs and outcomes that can be improved in one of three ways: by reducing costs while maintaining outcomes, improving outcomes while maintaining costs or transforming processes in a way that both reduces costs and improves outcomes. Any improvements in productivity are likely to require initial investments, but successful efforts reduce costs over the long term, even after these initial investments are taken into account. vi 3) At least two conditions are compared; 4) Costs and outcomes are related using a single ratio for each model under study; 5) Other factors not related to the conditions being studied are controlled or held constant. The report also includes a review of ways that online learning might offer productivity benefits compared with traditional place-based schooling. Unfortunately, a review of the available research that examined the impact of online learning on educational productivity for secondary school students was found to be lacking. …

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that despite the utility of evoking a potential link between learning research and economic competitiveness in the minds of broader audiences, learning scientists engage in rather little critical discussion of whether such links are meaningful and empirically sound within their own programs of research.