Thursday Plenary Session
8:15am-9:30am
Caribbean I-V (General Session Room)
Barbara Means
Co-director, Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International
Research on the Effectiveness of Online Learning: Insights, Controversies, and Gaps
Despite the rapid spread of online course offerings in higher education and other educational and training settings, rigorous research examining its effectiveness and the critical elements of effective online learning experiences is limited. A meta-analysis of the online learning literature from 1996 through July 2008 found 50 independent effects from studies that contrasted (a) an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information for calculating the magnitude of the difference between online and face-to-face learner outcomes. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The advantage over face-to-face classes was significantly large in those studies contrasting blends of online and face-to-face instruction with entirely face-to-face instruction. The available research does not support the conclusion that blended instruction is superior as a medium of instruction, however. In the studies included in the meta-analysis, blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not present in control conditions. Several authors have suggested that results from such meta-analyses should not be generalized to full courses, and especially not to courses for students who have struggled academically. Responding to these criticisms, this presentation will describe the design principles for online learning that can be derived from available research and areas where further research is needed.
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Friday Plenary Session
8:15am-9:30am
Caribbean I-V (General Session Room)
Julie Young
President and Chief Executive Officer
Florida Virtual School
Through the Looking Glass: Florida Virtual School's Journey to invent New Worlds of Learning
Join us as Julie Young, President of Florida Virtual School, shares insights from the development journey of the nation's largest and most successful K-12 public online learning program. Learn how her team transcended traditional educational boundaries and reinvented the learning processes - and how they are continuing to do so. Don't miss this glimpse of next-generation, tech-supported learning environments.
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