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Partial Online Instruction and Gender-based Differencesin Learning: A Quasi-Experimental Study of AmericanGovernment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2006

Bruce M. Wilson
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
Philip H. Pollock
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
Kerstin Hamann
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida

Extract

College teachers are increasingly using instructional technology tosupplement or substitute for face-to-face instruction. Theincentives and arguments for doing so are many, includingfacilitation of higher education for non-traditional students andchanging student demographics, skill building to improve studentpreparation for workplaces that are likely to use computertechnology, space restrictions in universities with growingenrollment, the opportunities that Internet classrooms provide fororganizing and monitoring student work and assignments, and so on.However, little is known about how online instruction affects thelearner. Online instruction is, in many ways, fundamentallydifferent from face-to-face instruction (see, for example, Lee 2003; McCormack andJones 1998; Palloff and Pratt1999). For instance, instructors are unlikely to simplypost their lecture notes online in the hope that the students willread, take notes, memorize, and retain the information, which wouldbe the closest equivalent to a traditional lecture classroom.Consequently, it cannot be assumed that different instructionalmodes (such as lectures or online instruction) necessarily have thesame learner outcomes. This lack of knowledge concerning the effectsof online instruction on learner outcomes also extends to thequestion of gender equality.Authorsare listed in reverse alphabetical order. We gratefullyacknowledge financial support for both the redesign and theevaluation of the course from the Pew Learning and TechnologyProgram, Center for Academic Transformation, Pew Grant Programin Course Redesign.

Information

Type
THE TEACHER
Copyright
© 2006 The American Political Science Association

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