Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008
For many faculty members, the move by universities toward greaterreliance on online and hybrid courses raises questions of coursecontent and quality. Many faculty, socialized to deliver informationto students in a manner described as “chalk and talk,” wonderwhether moving courses out into the online environment somehowcompromises the education students receive. In fact, there is asmall but growing body of information in political science and othercognate disciplines that addresses these questions and offersevidence that online courses, while different from more traditionalface-to-face classes, can offer rich learning opportunities in theirown right. This article seeks to contribute to that body ofknowledge by reporting the results of a quasi-experiment comparingstudent success and satisfaction in online and face-to-facecourses.The author gratefullyacknowledges the support of the UWM Center for Instructional andProfessional Development and the assistance of Anthony Ciccone,Connie Schroeder, and the anonymous reviewers.