Seta Whitby, professor and chairwoman of computer science and computer engineering, presented her research on how student backgrounds have an effect on virtual learning.
The topic brought up questions and doubts by some of the faculty in the audience in the President’s Dining Room on Nov. 25.
“There was a good response from the audience,” Whitby said. “When people ask questions, you know they are interested in the subject. I didn’t bore them.”
The lecture titled, “The Effect of Student Backgrounds in Virtual Learning – Longitudinal Study,” was taken from a chapter in the published book “Setting Knowledge Free: Issues in Informing Science.”
Whitby, along with Yehia Mortagy, associate professor of information technology and decision sciences, started researching distance learning in 2001, and how students differ in face-to-face or online classes.
“This is a topic that is very well needed, especially since we are moving toward hybrid courses,” Whitby said.
The research took place over 14 semesters and 28 sessions – two classes every fall and spring semester, an online course and a face-to-face course running concurrently with the same instructor. The course used for research was Management of Information Systems.
Whitby gave each class a pre-test and a post-test to determine any background effects in online learning and compared learning outcomes between traditional and non-traditional students in online courses.
According to Whitby, the subject of the effectiveness of online education was studied extensively.
However, all the research found focused on only one type of student and no study used experimental designs to look at all students.
The groups of students studied were CAPA, Regional Campus Administration and traditional undergraduate students.
Over the seven years of research, a total of 486 students were studied; 258 were CAPA/RCA students and 228 were traditional students.
Precisely 249 were in the online course, while 237 were in the face-to-face class.
“Seta taught the classes and gathered all of the information, while I collaborated on the research,” Mortagy said.
When the findings of differences over time in achieved grades were shared, several faculty members in the audience raised questions about the information.
Further studies were also conducted.
Included in the research were findings in differences with student type and their age, ethnicity and gender, citizenship and marital status, family generations in college, academic majors, academic standings and grade point averages compared to age.
A Myers-Briggs type inventory (a personality test) was administered to each student.
“The lectures always raise interesting and thought provoking questions,” David Werner, associate professor of English, said.
“This topic is a major question in education right now. This poses a series of threats to education,” Werner said. “It is a significant debate, and, depending on how it plays out, it will have a large effect on education in the United States and around the world.”
Whitby said that she and Mortagy presented this lecture in Bulgaria and were given an offer to have their research published in a second book.
“I listen to the student’s needs to cater to them,” Whitby said. “This makes me a better teacher.”
Jaclyn Mittman can be reached at jaclyn.mittman@ laverne.edu.
Jaclyn Mittman
