The Average Online Learner:
April 17th, 2002
This study compared a set of students taking the same community college course on campus in a traditional classroom with a group taking the same course online via the same college. [link via Online Learning News Blog] Interesting conclusions, like
“Online learners at this community college had several distinguishing characteristics. The online learners were predominately visual learners and spent, on the average, an hour more per week on classwork than did their traditional student counterparts. There also more women than there are men taking online classes. The online learners at this community college were primarily married or divorced and had children living at home…the average online student is a woman, 34 years old, employed part-time, and has previous college credits”
However, it appears that the researchers didn’t make any attempt to study (or at least control for) the tools used to deliver the online learning (or, for that matter, the face-to-face learning).