Face-to-face or face-to-screen? Undergraduates' opinions and test performance in classroom vs. online learning

Abstract

As electronic communication becomes increasingly common, and as students juggle study, work, and family life, many universities are offering their students more flexible learning opportunities. Classes once delivered face-to-face are often replaced by online activities and discussions. However, there is little research comparing students' experience and learning in these two modalities. The aim of this study was to compare undergraduates' preference for, and academic performance on, class material and assessment presented online vs. in traditional classrooms. Psychology students (N = 67) at an Australian university completed written exercises, a class discussion, and a written test on two academic topics. The activities for one topic were conducted face-to-face, and the other online, with topics counterbalanced across two groups. The results showed that students preferred to complete activities face-to-face rather than online, but there was no significant difference in their test performance in the two modalities. In their written responses, students expressed a strong preference for class discussions to be conducted face-to-face, reporting that they felt more engaged, and received more immediate feedback, than in online discussion. A follow-up study with a separate group (N = 37) confirmed that although students appreciated the convenience of completing written activities online in their own time, they also strongly preferred to discuss course content with peers in the classroom rather than online. It is concluded that online and face-to-face activities can lead to similar levels of academic performance, but that students would rather do written activities online but engage in discussion in person. Course developers could aim to structure classes so that students can benefit from both the flexibility of online learning, and the greater engagement experienced in face-to-face discussion.

A Comparative Study of Online Education and Traditional Offline Education During COVID-19

“…Compared with recording and broadcasting, live teaching is more interactive, can create a learning atmosphere, and can solve the problem of mandatory learning to a certain extent [3] . The combination of live broadcast technology and online education has a stronger appeal and freshness for the Internet generation, and can more exibly compensate for the lack of online learning interaction [4] . This brings opportunities for the online education industry, and live broadcast education has gradually begun to rise.…”

Character Development In Virtual Class

“…Even this development is very influential in the world of Education. Learning can be done without face to face directly between the teacher and students [2]. Teachers can provide teaching materials in digital content that can be accessed, stored, shared anytime and anywhere via the internet [3].…”

Involving postgraduate medical students in pharmacology practical classes by e-learning

“…A study conducted in the Psychology Department of the University of Tasmania, Australia revealed that there was no significant difference in the academic performance of students in face to face class and online classes (Kemp and Grieve, 2014). Virtual laboratory for conducting practical classes have already been introduced in different faculties of science like Physics (Finkelstein et al, 2005), Biology (Muhamad et al, 2010), Engineering (Rajendran et al, 2010), Chemistry (Bakar et al, 2013) and have been found to be effective.…”

“…This technology is not applied in medical students of Bangladesh. The virtual class can be the best method of conducting classes to overcome the physical boundaries of the classroom and students would be able to do the class at a time of their own choice, without having to travel to anywhere (Kemp and Grieve, 2014). Some universities and colleges around the world offer online degree programs and courses, which give students the opportunity to access higher education from anywhere (The complete…”