Main Index > Literature Review Index > Blended Learning

The reasons for withdrawal from an online course are not the same reasons for success in an online course, students who withdrew may have done so due to external factors, students who stayed in the online courses succeed better than those in traditional courses.

Carpenter, T.G., Brown, W.L., & Hickman, R.C., (2004). Influences of Online Delivery on Developmental Writing Outcomes. Journal of Developmental Education, 28(1)p14.

-------------------
Reasons, S. G. (2004, May). Questioning the hybrid model. Online Classroom Newsletter, (May 2004). Retrieved 1 November, 2004 from http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_oc/pdfs/OC0405.pdf

This article examines the disadvantages of using hybrid courses. A review of face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses reveals that hybrid courses may have unique problems seen in the other two types of courses. The author presents three distinctly different problems:
1) students in hybrid courses encounter more confusion due to the changing modes of the class, there are certain requirements when meeting face-to-face and other requirements when online. Students also suffer from out-of-sight out-of-mind phenomenom wherein they lose track of the course when not in the face-to-face mode. These problems were not isolated to the new online students but were also evident in experienced online students.
2) Adviement problems: students were being advised to take online courses when it may not have been in their best interest. Advisors would see an adult learner, returning to school while also working and raising a family and push this student into the hybrid courses. These students may fit the profile of an online learner but may not be ready for the online world.
3) Instructors and students fail to adequately use the online portion of the course. The instructors tend to keep the online portion superficial and the students tend to do the minimum participation online.

The author closes with the comments that all courses are slowly becoming hybrids due to the use of online elements for support of face-to-face courses. Dr. Reasons states we must critically evaluate hybrid courses to make sure they meet the needs of the students, faculty, and administrators.
------------------------