New study reveals the benefits of online education

Posted by Caitlin on August 24th, 2009

The U.S. Department of Education recently released a report on online education. The study, which examined the comparative research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008, concluded that, "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction." Most of the comparative studies focused on colleges and adult continuing education programs.

Barbara Means, the study's lead author, said, "The study's major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing — it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction." The New York Times points out that new online tools such as instant messaging and web-based video have helped to enrich the online education experience in recent years, and that online education fostors learning opportunities that are more specifically tailored to individual students.

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