INSIDE ONLINE LEARNING: COMPARING CONCEPTUAL AND TECHNIQUE LEARNING PERFORMANCE IN PLACE-BASED AND ALN FORMATS

Abstract

Online learning is coming of age. ‘Traditional’ universities are embracing online components to courses, online courses, and even complete online programs. With the advantage of distance and time insensitivity for the learning process, there appears to be a growing sense that this form of teaching and learning has strong pedagogical merit. Research has shown that students do comparatively well in this new format. There is, however, a lack of evidence illustrating particular strengths and weaknesses of online teaching and learning. This paper discusses experiences with a single course taught using two forms: (1) traditional place-based, and (2) a form of asynchronous learning network (ALN) defined as interactive virtual seminars. Differences in learning performance are tested using longitudinal observations. In a course comprised of both conceptual material and the application of techniques, the students performed overall equally well in either place-based or virtual format. Their degree of learning, however, differed significantly between conceptual and technique-based material. Implications are promising, showing that there are relative strengths to be exploited in both place-based and virtual formats.