Virtual courses producing real results in student learning
Released: July 23, 2004
Advancements in Internet technology have allowed many universities to significantly increase the number of online course offerings and degree programs, generating a $23 billion industry. For example, more than 225 of the 750 graduate students enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) take courses exclusively online, while most others enrolled in a combination of both in-class and online courses.
Although online education offerings have increased, research regarding its effectiveness remains underdeveloped. Critics of online learning argue the absence of face-to-face interaction provides a weakened learning experience, leaving students, professors and universities asking: Can the quality and challenge of online learning match that of the traditional classroom?
In new research published this summer, UW-Whitewater researchers have found, in some cases, the online experience can surpass traditional teaching and learning, especially in areas of reflective learning. A critical element of reflection is the ability to stand back and understand what is happening and why.
UW-Whitewater professor of management Will Drago and marketing professor Jimmy Peltier teamed with Great Britain’s Nottingham Trent University business school professors Amanda Hay and Myra Hodgkinson to assess UW-Whitewater’s online and traditional MBA programs. The collaborative research partnership investigated relationships between levels of reflective learning and perceived effectiveness.
The in-depth surveying of more than 300 recent MBA graduates examined levels of reflective learning and the factors that foster it, including the role of the lecturer, student interaction and course design. The partnership led to the article “Reflective Learning and On-line Management Education: A Comparison of Traditional and On-line MBA Students.”
The findings and analysis of several UW-Whitewater and Nottingham Trent research collaborations were published in Leadership in International Management Education, a June 2004 special edition of Nottingham Trent’s business journal Strategic Change. A second round of collaborative articles will also be presented at the Academy of Business Disciplines Conference in Fort Myers, Fla., in November 2004.
“While assessments of quality of online courses and programs have been for the most part promising, misperceptions and lack of knowledge continues to exist by both those involved in the process, including the instructors designing and delivering the courses, university administrators and enrolled students, and also by those looking in,” said Drago.
The results produced data showing a significantly higher percentage of reflective learning in online students. In reflective learning, students internally examine and explore an issue of concern triggered by experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, resulting in a changed conceptual perspective.
“What the research shows is that online, students look for, seek and want deeper learning exercises,” said Peltier. “So I think that just gives a nudge to the fact that we can and do challenge our students to go deep into what the learning process should be.”
The data allowed the collaborative team to produce statistic-based tables ranking six factors: habitual learning, student interaction, understanding, role of the instructor, reflection and critical reflection. The online MBA participants’ highest rankings were given to reflection, critical reflection and role of the instructor, while the in-class students’ highest rankings were to critical reflection, habitual learning and reflection.
The researchers concluded that the statistics show the online format of the UW-Whitewater online MBA program can promote higher levels of learning and does not come at the expense of a quality educational experience.
“The research is an important part of education, particularly in understanding online education’s role as a part of the vision for the college,” said College of Business and Economics Dean Christine Clements. “Its also helpful to understand how effective we are and what makes for a quality online distance learning experience.”
The UW-Whitewater/Nottingham Trent partnership began with an undergraduate exchange program in 2003, birthing a strategic alliance including faculty research and short-course learning programs in Nottingham.
For more information, contact Will Drago at (262) 472-3994 or dragow@uww.edu
- Katie Stoffel,stoffelka14@uww.edu
